


A Long Winter

by adoctoraday



Series: Winter's Legacy [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, F/M, Family, Fanfiction, Hydra (Marvel), Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Romance, SHIELD, Torture, Tumblr, Undercover Missions, Undercover as a Couple, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-20
Updated: 2016-07-03
Packaged: 2018-07-16 07:16:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 31,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7257850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adoctoraday/pseuds/adoctoraday
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It is a year after Captain America "woke up" the Winter Soldier to his real identity, and now he is working for SHIELD, recovering himself and working to hunt down Hydra. Except now he has a personal babysitter in the form of Agent Rose Thorne, as most people at SHIELD don't trust him not to revert to his Winter Soldier persona.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Spring Thaw

Bucky had been frozen for years, used by men and organizations that held no meaning to him now, other than people to get revenge against. He had chronic nightmares, flashbacks, and PTSD.

He provided valuable intel to SHIELD and the Avengers as often as possible, but was still barred from joining them in the field until his psych evals improved. He was barely able to make it out of his SHIELD quarters without having a breakdown.

His therapy sessions left him weak, shaky and angry. His deprogramming sessions were worse by far. The reverse of the wiping process, the neural reprogramming process made him confused, violent and scared. After two weeks of sessions he was feeling stronger, marginally.

He had barely seen Steve in the past weeks, he had been out with the Avengers running down Hydra bases, destroying targets. Bucky wanted to see his best friend more, but on the two occasions he had, violent flashbacks had gripped him and he had attacked Steve, nearly choking him to death.

Even now, thinking about it, his hands shook, and curled into fists. He shook his head and paced around the small quarters, trying to clear his head. He was Bucky, not the Winter Soldier, and he didn't want to hurt Steve, let alone anyone else.

He wanted to go outside and breathe the fresh air...he was allowed out on the grounds with supervision, but only when he was under control. If he did well in his therapy session that afternoon, maybe after dinner he would be allowed to go for a long walk.

Taking deep breaths, he calmed himself and sat down on his bed, picking up his book, one Steve had recommended and began reading.

The hours passed and he relaxed, enjoying this tale of a man who had chased a great white whale. He found himself alternately tense and enjoying the antics of the Captain as he chased the whale.

The door to his quarters opened, breaking his concentration. His gaze was drawn to the doorway where a dark haired woman of middling height was entering, her sharp green eyes assessing him.

She had a gun on her hip and a knife tucked into her boot, but it was her strong lean body and the scar from a bullet wound in her arm that told Bucky that she was someone not to be trifled with.

She was dressed casually in jeans and a tshirt with the words "Roll with it" on it, and the name of some musician on it, and the date of a concert below that, but it was her demeanor that caught his attention.

She was neither aggressive nor seductive, as some women had tried to be when he had returned to SHIELD. Both had proven discomforting and flash points for his memory, often leading to him behaving aggressively in return.

He sat on his bed, book in his lap and stared at her, waiting for her to say or do something. She was a new element in his routine. New was usually bad. He was worried. His metal hand clenched into a fist.

She leaned against the wall and stared at him for a moment before pointing to the door, "You ready to get out of here?"

Bucky stared at her in confusion, he wasn't allowed to leave. He certainly hadn't earned it. This had to be a test.

Shaking his head, he went back to reading his book, unable to focus on the words. The woman spoke again, "Well, if you want to stay here, by all means, stay. But Fury has cleared you to leave."

Bucky glanced up at her, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Where...where would I go?" His heart raced at the thought of being able to go outside, of being anywhere but here.

She smiled softly, "We have an apartment for you. It's small, but it's nice." Moving away from the wall she waved a hand around the room, "Anything you want to bring with you, pack up and we'll leave this afternoon."

Bucky nodded slowly and looked around at his paltry belongings, "I don't have much." He in fact, had nothing. A few books, some clothes that SHIELD had given him, and his things from the past that they hadn't returned yet...maybe ever.

The woman nodded and looked around, "That's ok. I'll help you get what you need." She headed to the door and paused before turning back to smile gently at him, "I'm Agent Rose Thorne by the way. I'll be your protector."

Bucky stared at her and then nodded, not saying anything as she left. He couldn't believe he was leaving...his heart raced with excitement and fear. He couldn't believe SHIELD had assigned someone as a protector to him...but part of him knew that he couldn't be on his own yet, he barely understood the world for what it had become. He certainly didn't know who he was in this world.

* * *

That evening he stood in the bare apartment with Rose and looked around at all the space, wondering how he was supposed to fill it up. Rose quietly unpacked groceries and tucked them into his cabinets and fridge, all the while watching him out of the corner of her eye.

She had been doing it all day long, while they shopped for clothes, furniture and groceries. He hadn't said anything, but had simply tried to keep up with her stream of conversation. The constant blare of noises and stream voices throughout the day had begun to wear on him until his nerves felt fried.

Now as he stared out his window, he was grateful for the silence of the apartment. When Rose's hand came down on his shoulder, he flinched hard and edged away. Rose spoke softly, "Sorry...I just wanted to let you know that I'm heading out. I'll be across the hallway if you need me. There's survey equipment like we talked about, so you just have to shout, and I'll hear."

He nodded, his eyes downcast, and watched her leave from his periphery. When the door shut, the tension in his chest eased. He walked through his apartment and envisioned a life there, friends, parties, a girlfriend someday...his heart pounded at the thought of all the normalcy, and he retreated to his bedroom and stared at his bed before grabbing the pillow and duvet and dragging them onto the floor in the corner.

When he was still the Winter Soldier, he had often slept on floors and in tents while tracking people. Comfort hadn't been a priority. The bed Rose had helped him buy was perfect for James, the man he had been. For who he was now, it was too soft, and he wasn't used to it yet. Maybe with time...

Tugging his shirt off, he lay down and tucked the pillow under his head. Massaging the seam of his shoulder and his metal arm, Bucky contemplated how he was supposed to live a normal, day-to-day life. Rose had told him they would take things one day at a time and she would help him figure things out, but he was still terrified.

Staring up at the ceiling, he thought about the day, amazed that he had gotten out of SHIELD and was already in his own place. The amount of space and the freedom given to him was both liberating and frightening.

* * *

They had gone to a large furniture and home goods store named IKEA that Rose had informed him contained everything his apartment would need. As they walked around he had seen she was right, but none of the furniture or decorations appealed to him.

When she had asked why, he had told her, "It's all a little...boxy. And straight, I guess?" he had muttered, blushing when she laughed. She had nodded and tugged on his arm, leading him out of the store and to her car.

She had driven them to a smaller store, one that boasted "antiques" and "vintage furniture". When they had walked inside, he had felt an instant connection and had begun to wander through the store, relaxing at last.

To his surprise he found Rose by his side the whole time, offering her opinion on items, and having wonderful taste. She pointed out a solid oak bookcase, a loveseat and a dining room table set- all of which he ended up selecting.

He had always been a frugal buyer, but when the purchases were on SHIELD's dime, and Rose nudged him and smiled encouragingly, he felt like it was the right thing to do, the normal thing to do.

As they exited the store Rose had smiled brightly at him, "Okay, now we need to get you a bed. And some sheets! Let's hit up a mattress store." He had nodded reluctantly and they were soon off to a mattress store being shown different sizes and firmness.

He had looked at Rose helplessly and she had smiled and waved the salesman away, "He just got back from Iraq. Can we have some space please?" The man had nodded, giving him a sympathetic look and left.

"Iraq?" he had asked softly. Rose nodded, sitting down on a bed, waving a hand for him to join.

"It's an easier explanation. Makes your hand make sense" she said before laying down, tugging on his arm to pull him down. "What do you think? Too soft?" she asked.

He sighed and lay still for a moment, "No it's good. I like it." He had no idea if he liked it. Rose nodded and sat up.

"Great. You should get the King size. Bigger is better, lots of room for spreading out" she said with a smile.

Twenty minutes later they had paid and gotten a rush delivery for that day, after paying an extra $200. Bucky swore he saw the manager do a dance of glee.

When they were back in the car Rose glanced over and asked, "How are you holding up?"

He sighed and stared out the window, "Okay. What are we doing now?"

Rose smiled, "If you're up for it, we should get some sheets and some groceries, how does that sound?"she asked.

Bucky nodded, he needed food, and he wanted to see how much things had changed since the 40′s. When they pulled into the Target parking lot and entered the store, his eyes widened and he turned to Rose, "This is all for food?" he asked softly.

She laughed and shook her head, "No, just part. Some is clothes, appliances, sporting goods, towels, sheets, electronics, home goods...there's so much here. Stuff you need."

As they walked through the store, she piled things into the cart that Bucky had no idea he would need. They spent nearly two hours in the store before Rose deemed them done. She had helped him pick out three new outfits in addition to the two sets of sheets, duvet, pillows, and groceries.

The woman at the register looked at their items and then at Rose, grinned and asked, "It's so tough when they first move in, isn't it?" Rose turned to him and smiled fondly, squeezing his arm, "I know, he's got practically nothing. I don't know where he'd be without me."

The woman nodded and continued to make small talk with Rose as she scanned the items. Bucky stared at them, incredulous. She honestly thinks we're a couple!-he thought to himself. He would have burst out laughing, but he didn't want to ruin the moment.

When they made it back to the car, he looked over at Rose and asked, "Does everyone make that sort of assumption about a man and a woman out together?"

Rose grinned, "People assume men and women can't be friends Bucky. So yea." Bucky sighed and shook his head, sinking down into his seat. Ridiculous!-he thought, smiling softly.

Rose Thorne...His new babysitter was interesting. She was strong and witty, from what he had seen just today. She had practically broken a man's wrist for grabbing her ass, and when he had stepped forward to say something to the man she had patted him on the chest and laughed saying, "Next time Sergeant."

Her green eyes had sparkled with laughter, and her off color humor had caught him off guard more than once. She had put him at ease, and had helped him adjust to the new world and situations he had found himself in. More than once he had found a smile on his face when he wasn't expecting it.

He was fairly certain he could trust her and that she was his friend...and he was also pretty sure Steve would like her. He felt like he was moving forward with his life, thawing out from the violent, angry place he had been stuck in before.

His dreams in the past weeks had been snowy tundras, pierced with violent memories of his time as the Winter Soldier. His SHIELD doctors had given him sedatives and sleeping pills to help, but they had only made the dreams worse. He had stopped taking them after a week and had struggled through the dreams, hoping and praying he was strong enough to defeat his demons.

As he drifted off that night he dreamt of fields of green; spring flowers blooming through the patches of snow.


	2. Who we Are

_**AN: "Who We Are" is chronologically after "Spring Thaw", and before the entirety of "A Long Winter". Thank you so so much for reading! xoxo** _

* * *

Two weeks had passed since Bucky had been released from SHIELD headquarters. In that time Rose had helped him acquire furniture for his apartment, encouraged him to go out more, and had ferried him from home to SHIELD for his mandated therapy sessions.

He remained quiet, closed off, and nervous. When they were out together getting groceries or books, or random things for his apartment Rose noticed he would wear long sleeves no matter what the weather and a ball cap pulled low over his eyes.

She said nothing, but kept coming to his door, knocking and asking if he wanted to join her for small tasks, or if he wanted to go to the gym, anything. More often than not he would shake his head, not saying anything and turn away.

Some days he would join her at the gym, running for almost an hour on the treadmill, and then lifting weights until he was soaked with sweat. Had they been at a normal gym, the other patrons would have stared and made comments at his unnatural strength. As it was, they often went early in the morning or late at night to the SHIELD gym, and only ever encountered other Agents.

Rose watched him over the weeks, her concern growing as Bucky's eyes grew more haunted, the dark circles under his eyes growing more pronounced, and their already sparse conversation grew to barely a word or two spoken a day.

Rose knew that SHIELD wanted him to supply them with critical information on Hydra agents; names, locations, details, but she didn't think he was going to be able to hold up to that level of scrutiny.

She had informed his therapist that he was having a hard time adjusting, and that she thought he needed Steve to help, but had been informed that Steve was on mission, and wouldn't be back for weeks.

As she paced around her apartment now, she glanced at the security feeds, waiting for him to leave his apartment with the SHIELD escort. She had told him that she wasn't available to go with him to his session today, she had lied, because she wanted a look around his apartment.

When his apartment door locked, she waited five minutes and then went over, using her key to open the door, and punched in the security code. Bucky hadn't been pleased that she had full access to his apartment, but she had promised never to enter when he wasn't there unless necessary.

Considering his behavior, she thought it was necessary.

Walking through the sparsely furnished apartment, she frowned at the sight of the shuttered blinds, the stacks of books, the bare fridge. Walking back to his bedroom she pushed the door open and stared at the bed. The covers had been pulled off, along with some of the pillows, into a nest in the corner.

Pulling the dresser drawers open, she sighed when she found them empty. Looking in the closet she found a large duffel filled with all of his clothes, the dirty ones in a pile beside it. Her heart wrenched and Rose shook her head, shutting the closet door.

She stepped out of the bedroom and closed the door, walking out of the apartment, locking it behind her, a pit of worry in her stomach. She grabbed her wallet from her apartment and walked down the street to the small grocery store, taking her time, contemplating how she could help Bucky when he didn't seem to want to help himself.

When her cart was filled with food for herself and for Bucky she checked out and walked back quickly, dropping her food off in her apartment before slipping into Bucky's place once more.

Rose riffled through the cupboards and shook her head- how in the hell had he survived for the past two weeks? she wondered. She knew he had been given supersoldier serum, but he had to eat. Her cooking was nothing great, and he had hardly eaten when she did cook.

As she was putting away the last of the food, she heard the front door open and the security code being entered. A moment later she heard Bucky's voice, "What the hell are you doing in here?" his voice low, filled with surprise and anger.

Rose turned slowly and smiled tentatively, "I got back from my doctor's appointment early, and got some extra groceries. I thought I would share. Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

Bucky stared at her for a moment and then shrugged, "I didn't need groceries. You didn't have to do that."

Rose sighed, "Sure, whatever." She tossed the empty bags into the trash and paused, seeing an empty bottle of vodka in the trash. Closing the lid, she turned and smiled, "How was the session?"

"I'm sure you'll know soon enough." Bucky snapped, turning and grabbing his keys before heading to the door. Rose raised a brow at his churlishness, and his apparent desire to go somewhere.

"You going out?" she asked offhandedly.

Bucky yanked the door open, pointing out, "So are you. I'll see you later."

Rose stared at him for a moment and then nodded, "Cool. Have a good night." She walked out and across the hall, shutting her door behind her softly. She watched on the security feeds as Bucky shut his door and walked down the stairs. After that she had no idea where he went.

Part of her screamed to follow him. SHIELD would want her to. The other part thought that it would be better to let him go out, do something on his own. The fact that he was even wanting to be out without her was a step in the right direction.

Sighing, she sat down on her couch and flipped her tv on, wandering aimlessly through the channels till she came to the cooking channel. Time slipped by as contestants cooked mystery ingredients, and Rose made herself dinner.

When she looked up and it was 11pm, she checked the security feeds, growing worried that Bucky hadn't returned. Biting her thumb she debated going out to find him.

Picking up her phone, she unlocked it and activated an app that SHIELD had installed on both her phone and Bucky's to help keep tabs of him. When it located him, she raised a brow. "A bar, huh Bucky? Thought you supersoldier boys couldn't get drunk?" she murmured.

Tapping the phone against her palm, she sighed and decided to give it another hour. If he hadn't come home by then, she would go drag him home.

Rose was awoken two hours later by the sound of voices...when she sat up, looking around blearily, she muted the tv and heard only one voice this time. Looking over to the security feed, she saw Bucky, gesturing and speaking to the air.

Swearing, she stood and pocketed her phone before walking across the hall and testing the door. When the handle turned easily, she pushed it open and entered the dimly lit apartment.

"Bucky?" she called softly, looking around for him as she made her way into the living room, the last place she had seen him on the feeds.

"B-Bucky's dead" she heard him slur. Turning she found him seated under the living room window, the moonlight spilling over his hunched form.

His long hair was spilled into his face, his forearms were resting on his knees, one hand clutching a bottle of vodka like a lifeline, his metal hand clenching and unclenching, his gaze locked on it.

"Bucky you're not-"

"BUCKY'S DEAD!" he shouted, turning his blazing gaze on her.

Rose raised a hand and nodded, "Fine. He's dead. Why?" she asked softly.

He laughed roughly, "Because I killed him. He's too weak for this world, a-and I killed him."

Rose stared at him and then crouched down in front of him, "Okay, so who are you?"

"No one. I'm a ghost" he whispered before raising the bottle to his lips, his hand shaking. He took a long pull, his throat working as he drank. There was a slight popping noise when he pulled the bottle away and wiped at his mouth, his eyes hooded.

"I don't think Bucky is too weak for this world. I think he's scared. I think you're scared. I think something happened and you're fighting hard not to fall into an abyss, so why don't you tell me what happened and I'll help you to avoid that fall?" Rose said softly.

He stared at the bottle in his hands and then shook his head, "Why do you c-care? I'm a m-monster. Monsters live in the abyss."

Rose sighed and sat down across from him, shaking her head. "You're not a monster. You had your will taken from you and you were forced to do horrible things. You had no control over your actions. That doesn't make you a monster, it makes you a victim."

Fiery eyes met hers, "Fuck you. I'm no victim" he growled.

Rose shrugged, "If you're not a victim, and you're not a monster, and you're not Bucky, or a ghost, then who the fuck are you? Because I'm here for Bucky."

He stared at her for a long moment and then waved a hand towards the door, "You can go" and took another long pull from the bottle.

Rose stared at him and shook her head, "I'm good."

A dangerous look flashed across his face as he set the bottle down, "I don't want you here."

Rose shrugged, "I don't give a shit. You're no one. I'm here for Bucky, when he comes back and tells me to leave, then I'll go."

A moment later she was flat on her back, his metal hand wrapped around her throat, the pressure just heavy enough to cut into her breathing. His hair hung into his face, eyes blazing as he whispered, "Get the fuck out."

Rose stared at him for a moment and then in a flurry of movement, kneed him in the groin, knocked aside his hand, and snatched up the bottle of vodka, smashing it on his metal arm as it came up to grab at her.

They both stilled, breathing heavily, and Rose whispered, "I will not leave here until you sober up, calm the fuck down, and talk to me...Bucky."

He stared at her for a long moment and then stood, walking to the kitchen. She heard the freezer door open and a moment later he stood in the living room door, saluting her with a new bottle of vodka.

"Ypa" he murmured. Taking a large swallow, he walked over and sat on the couch, leaning his head back to stare at the ceiling. Rose watched him for a moment and then sat down on the other end, fairly certain he wasn't going to attack her again.

"They used to drink this in Russia...I remember the taste of it" he whispered.

Rose nodded and then held her hand out, waiting until the bottle hit her fingers to take it and take a long pull.

"Der'mo!" she swore. He turned to stare at her and Rose smirked, "I did my graduate work in Russia. I'm fluent in Russian. Ya znayu kto ty."

There was a long moment of silence and then he sighed, "How can you know who I am? I don't even know how I became this person."

Rose drank from the bottle again and then handed it back, feeling the buzz of the alcohol in her blood. "I know who you are, because I've studied you, I've seen you fight to be you, and I've seen the person they made you be. You are Bucky Barnes, and you cannot let anyone take that away."

They sat in silence for such a long time that Rose thought maybe he had fallen asleep or passed out, but when she looked over, he was still awake, staring at the ceiling.

Standing, she gently took the bottle from his hand and shushed him when he made a noise of protest. Putting it in the freezer she walked back over to his still form and held out a hand, "Come on. You need to sleep."

After a long moment he shook his head, "I'm fine. You can go Rose."

Rose sighed, "Please, for me, go to bed. Please Bucky?"

His eyes peeled off the ceiling and came to rest on her face, studying her for a moment. He sighed, "I'm going to stay here for awhile, but I will, I promise."

Rose eyed him warily, "Who is promising me?"

Running his hand through his hair, Bucky tugged on it for a moment and then sighed, "Me, Rose...Bucky", in the moonlight he looked exhausted and worn years beyond his age of 28.

Rose sighed a small breath of relief and nodded, "Okay...okay. I'll go. But, I'll be back first thing in the morning to make sure you eat. And then we're talking."

Bucky nodded and waved a hand weakly as she turned to leave. When she had gotten to the door, she turned back and stared at him, needing to say something, but unable to find the words. Shaking her head, she turned away and pulled the door shut behind her.

* * *

Rose sat under the stream of hot water and stared numbly at the shower wall. She had known Bucky was emotionally a wreck...but God. She ran a hand over her face and realized it was shaking.

Clenching it into a fist, she sat and waited for the adrenaline to pass. After another ten minutes she stepped out of the shower and pulled her pajamas on, climbing weakly into bed, tugging the covers up to her chin.

Looking over at the other security screens, she saw that Bucky was laying on his couch, staring up at the ceiling. She watched him for a few minutes before rolling over and staring up at her own ceiling.

- _I have to tell SHIELD about this...but if I do, they'll pull me as his protector, they'll think I can't handle it...fuck...We have to work together to communicate better...tomorrow we talk and we work on how to make this work_...-she thought to herself.

As Rose drifted off to sleep, she worried endlessly over Bucky. Her dreams were haunted by visions of the Winter Soldier hunting her down, demanding to know where Bucky was, who he was...and then abruptly turning into Bucky- drunk and whispering, " _He's dead...he's a ghost...you were too late_..." He gazed at her sadly and slipped away into a black abyss...


	3. Active Missions

_His metal hand was wrapped around Captain America's throat. He squeezed, tighter, and felt the life leaving him. "YOU ARE MY MISSION" he screamed. He saw the pity in the other man's eyes and hated him, but part of him fought, wanting to let go..._ he was jolted awake, sweating and shaking.

The man formerly known as the Winter Soldier, now just Bucky again, sat up, wiping sweat off his face. He looked around his bedroom, knowing there was no one there, but still feeling as though he was being watched. He knew SHIELD had cameras elsewhere in the apartment, but he had successfully negotiated them out of the bathroom and bedroom, pleading privacy.

Fury and Hill had been skeptical, but he had sworn that should anything critical be happening in those rooms, he would be able to get their attention. So far, he hadn't needed to. Still, the idea of cameras everywhere in his apartment irked.

Then there was the small matter of his babysitter.

He grunted thinking of her. Agent Rose Thorne…Really? Her parents named her Rose when her last name was Thorne? That was some stupid humor.

Though the more he had gotten to know her, the more he realized it suited her. She was beautiful, attention grabbing, but if you tried to touch her, she would break your hand. She was also smart, witty, and sarcastic.

If she wasn't his 24/7 guard, he might have less of an issue with her. She had been prone to entering his apartment the first few weeks of their pairing if he didn't answer the door right away, which had led to an awkward shower incident. Well, it wasn't his fault he liked to listen to loud music while he showered and she just assumed he was being murdered.

He laughed at the memory, and swung himself out of bed. Stretching, he rubbed the seam of his metal arm and grunted at the soreness. Fucking Hydra. He had hoped that SHIELD would be able to remove this abomination and give him a real arm, but they had said no.

Stark had said he could give him a bionic arm, which he had refused. Metal, bionic; they were all the same and different. He just wanted to be whole again, but knew that would never happen. Bucky stood looking in the mirror, assessing his scars, arm, long hair, and walked away.

Bucky walked into the kitchen and pulled a set of bowls out of the cupboard. He grabbed the cereal out of the pantry and poured equal portions along with milk out. He smiled at the knock at the door followed by the sound of Rose letting herself in. They had established a routine a long time ago when Rose had first realized that Bucky could cook, and from then on, their relationship had been solidified not just as protector and protected, but friends.

"Hey Bucky" she called from the living room.

"Good morning Rose" he said with a smile as she entered the room. He sat down at the table motioning for her to join him.

"So what's on the schedule for this morning Buck?" she asked around a mouthful of cereal.

He thought for a moment, "Feel like going for a run?" he asked with a wicked grin.

Rose glared at him, "I hate you so much Bucky. Fine, let me change after we eat." Bucky knew she hated running, but he needed to get some exercise in and clear his thoughts. His nightmare about Steve had shaken him up, and running was the best way to get his head straight.

After washing the dishes and changing into his running clothes, Bucky met Rose in the hallway. "Ready?" he asked with a mocking grin.

With a grunt, Rose nodded and headed down the stairs and out the front of the building. They headed out of the apartment and onto the WO&D trail. Steve had tried to get him to live in DC, but Bucky had hated it. He loved the countryside and the trees. The city only reminded him of the destruction he had wrought there- he wanted to escape into the anonymity that the smaller towns provided.

The silence of the run soothed his inner rage leftover from the Winter Soldier. He ran because he sometimes still thought he could feel the deadness and rage coming back. If he could just run hard and fast enough, he would escape it.

He pushed himself harder, breathing heavier, until he heard a voice behind him, "Bucky! Slow the fuck down!" He realized he was practically sprinting, and pulled back. Rose came up beside him, breathing heavily.

They came to a stop beside a pond, staring out over the water, both breathing in gasps. "The fuck…Bucky? What was that?" Rose gasped out. She stared at him and could see the lines around his eyes, and the strain in his face, not just from running. _Shit, he had another nightmare!_ she thought to herself.

They had been helping SHIELD take down priority targets by confirming identities and sending the Avengers out on missions, but Bucky hadn't been approved for field duty yet, not with his nightmares and flashbacks. Rose wished she could take his pain away, help make it better, but she knew it was a battle he had to fight.

Bucky breathed slowly and evenly for a minute, "Sorry, I just got caught up in my….memories." He wished he had a bottle of water to get rid of the sour taste in his mouth from the flashbacks. Running a hand through his long hair he shook his head and paced.

Rose looked at him assessing, "Ok, you want to head back or keep going?"

Bucky sighed and shook his head, turning back would be giving up. He pushed down the memories and pain and smiled, laying a hand on Rose's shoulder, "Come on Agent Thorne, you don't get off that easy!" he said with a grin and took off at a slower pace. He smiled as he heard her groan behind him.

When they got back to his apartment Rose collapsed onto the floor and glared at him, "I hate you, I really do Bucky."

He shook his head, "No, you hate running. Now see, if it was the 40's-"

Rose groaned, "Oh shut up! If it was the 40's I would be barefoot and pregnant with my third kid!"

Bucky laughed, "Maybe, but you wouldn't have to run."

Rose laughed and struggled to stand up, her quads protesting. When Bucky put a hand out to help her up she punched him lightly in the thigh, but took it. Bucky grinned and went to the kitchen, "You want a drink?"

"Please" she called back, walking over to the bookcase, inspecting the titles. There was a wide variety, from fantasy, to biography, to textbooks. A moment later a bottle of protein shake appeared in her periphery. She took it and asked, "Have you been reading all of these?"

Bucky nodded, "There's a lot of history to catch up on."

Rose grinned, "Well a better way to catch up is movies. Why don't we start doing movie marathons to get you caught up on culture?"

Bucky shrugged, he had seen some movies on tv that people said were popular, hadn't been particularly thrilled. "If you want to."

Rose sighed,"Come on Bucky you know what your therapist told us, you have to try to fit in."

He nodded, "Ok. Fine."

Rose smiled, "Great! We don't have anything to do now, so why don't I go shower and grab some of my movies, and come back and we'll watch something?" Bucky nodded and waved a hand. "Fine, sounds good."

Rose punched him in the arm, "Stop being so curmudgeonly." She walked to the door and paused when she heard Bucky speak.

Bucky smiled awkwardly, "I am an old man, I can't help it."

Rose turned back and smiled, "You're definitely a pain in the ass, that's for sure. Go shower old man, you stink."

* * *

Forty minutes later Rose knocked on Bucky's door, a bag full of movies in one hand, and another full of Chinese takeout. Bucky opened the door and a smiled ghosted across his lips, "You brought food, great."

Rose grinned, "Well you had us run 5 miles this morning, so yea, food was in order. Here, unpack it while I get plates." She handed him the food and set the movies down in the living room. Five minutes later they were sitting in the living room and Rose was describing each of the movies she had brought. They finally settled on Rocky, and within minutes Bucky was engrossed and Rose was murmuring along with the lines.

Bucky glanced over at her and smiled, "How many times have you seen this?"

Rose blushed, "This one? Too many to count. My dad and I would watch them all any time they came on tv. I used to have a crush on Rocky."

Bucky laughed, "He's kinda dopey."

Rose grinned, "But he's got heart."

Bucky nodded, "Okay, true."

Rose smiled, "Sorry, I'll be quiet."

Bucky shook his head, "It's ok, I don't mind."

Rose smiled and focused on the movie, until she heard her phone ringing in the kitchen. When Bucky moved to pause it, she shook her head, "No keep watching, it's almost over." She stood and went to answer it. Looking at the screen she saw it was Director Fury. Sighing, she went to the bathroom and answered it.

"Hello sir."

"Agent Thorne. How is Agent Barnes today?" Fury asked politely.

"Very good sir. We went for a run and we're watching a classic movie. He's in good spirits" Rose offered, wary of why Fury was inquiring.

"We have an active mission for you two, if you feel he's ready Agent Thorne. You're his monitor, what's your prognosis?" Fury asked.

Rose hesitated, she knew Bucky had a nightmare last night, and he had seemed upset this morning, but his progress had been steady over the past months. "He's ready sir. We're ready. We can handle active missions."

"Very good. Come to headquarters for debrief." Fury spoke briskly and the line went dead.

Rose sighed and tucked the phone into her pocket before walking out to the living room. Bucky looked up at her as the end credits rolled, his blue eyes wide, questioning. She smiled tensely, "Director Fury just activated us for full active mission status. We need to go to HQ."

Bucky stared at her for a moment and then nodded, "Let's go."

* * *

Bucky sat in front of Director Fury and Agent Hill, awaiting his orders. He knew they wanted his help finding more members of Hydra. They were everywhere, in the government, the military, the business world, and even just regular people who had strategic value. He was supposed to be able to find the ones that he had taken orders from, met, or seen.

Fury slid a document across the table to him, "This is where you're going, and who we think is Hydra. Have any input for us?"

Bucky picked up the document, looking at the picture of the Prime Minister of England. "Yea, he's Hydra. I met him once for a job." Bucky put the paper down and went silent.

Fury looked at him for a moment and then nodded, "Good. You and Agent Thorne will be on your way tonight. You are to act with extreme prejudice. Can you handle that?"

Bucky swallowed hard, he knew that this was what they had wanted of him, but it felt like he was becoming the Winter Soldier all over again. Trading one set of directives for another.

"Can you accept this mission?" Fury's voice was soft, but firm and commanding.

Bucky raised his eyes and looked into Fury's lone eye, "I will destroy Hydra. I will not however, become the Winter Soldier for you. You will not turn me back into that monster." There was a long moment of silence, followed by a sharp nod from Fury.

Bucky saw understanding in his face, and stood, happy to leave the room. He headed down to the War Room where he knew Rose would be receiving her directives and mission details.

* * *

"Do not allow the asset to come into contact with the target before you have established that he is aware of the mission parameters. He should use lethal force only after all information leading to the capture or death of other members of Hydra is revealed. You must be prepared to stop him if he is out of control Agent Thorne. Do you understand?"

Agent Rose Thorne looked up at the Agent in front of her after she finished reading the mission portfolio, "Yes. I understand. May I go now so I may confer these details to the _"asset"_ or you know, Agent Barnes, as I like to call him?" she snarked.

The agent raised a brow at her, indicating his annoyance with her sarcasm. "You are free to go Agent Thorne, but be aware; Director Fury will want daily updates on the mission. This is both you and the _asset's_ best chance at getting off of probation."

Rose stiffened; she had been unaware that they had been on probation. She knew she had been under scrutiny for volunteering for the position of guard for Bucky, but she knew a damaged soul when she saw one, and she had thought she would be able to help. _I guess kindness can bite you in the ass_ she thought to herself.

Rose stood, "Thank you for the information", and walked out of the room to find Bucky waiting for her. "Come on, we've got to get our gear together. This is going to be an interesting one."

She motioned for him to follow her. They had to discuss the mission details before they got on the plane, or she was worried he would freak. Sighing softly, Rose took Bucky into the armory and started picking out small knives and guns, weapons that would be easily concealed. She had a number of her own, but hated to take them on missions for fear of losing them or having them destroyed.

"So, what's the job Thorne?" Rose heard his gruff voice ask uneasily.

"Sorry, I got wrapped up in the weapons" she smirked at him, "So you know the target. Mission plan is we use your _personal_ history and make him think that I am a new player. Someone you encountered and now we work together. There is a gala in London that the PM will be attending, and now, so are we. We get ourselves introduced to him, we gain his trust. We work a job for him, and then take him down. Simple."

She watched his face, watched him process the information that he would be going into the mouth of the lion. She knew he had night terrors about his time as the Winter Soldier. She had the surveillance of his apartment in her walk in closet, and though she kept it low, his screams were often loud enough over the wire to wake her up at night.

She would never tell him how it made her cry. How it made her heart ache. She wanted to hunt Hydra down and put them all into the ground. No human deserved to be this destroyed. She could tell he was scared and trying to hide it.

Rose made a decision and walked over to Bucky and put a hand on his metal arm, knowing he hated having it touched, but his therapist had told her that he needed more personalized contact to feel accepted. "Hey, it'll be ok. I will **not** let anything happen to you." She looked up into his face, searching it.

He looked into her eyes and nodded, "Ok, I trust you."

"Good, now let's go pick up our costumes!" she said with a grin.


	4. Into the Fire

After they had gathered their tactical gear and undercover costumes, they boarded their private jet. Now, Bucky looked over at Rose, who was studying their mission portfolio while bouncing her foot to her music. He knew he had been "awake" for 70 years, but sometime the technology still caught him off guard, though he tried not to say anything, mostly because Rose teased him.

When he and Rose had bought his record player at the store she had been smiling in an odd way, but it wasn't until he had been called a "hipster" when purchasing it, and had been completely oblivious to what the term meant until Rose explained. It was the first time since he had been deprogrammed that he had laughed, and laughed hard.

Rose had tried to convince him to get an Ipod, but he preferred his record player, and loved to listen to the music as it had been when it had been first recorded. He was occasionally able to convince Rose to spend an afternoon at the record store finding more, but only if she got to spend equal time at a used book store. Frankly he didn't mind, he was able to add to his growing collection, and she would often drop books into his basket for him to read. Some were good, some he would put a sticky note on and give back, which never failed to make her laugh.

Bucky sighed and looked down at his hands and thought back to the nightmare he had torn himself out of that morning. He hated thinking about it, but he needed to process why he was still having these dreams a year later. His SHIELD mandated therapist had told him that watching certain tv shows or movies could be a trigger, and so he pretty much avoided them all together.

Thinking over the nightmare, he realized it had probably come from both his therapy session, where they had discussed in detail the same incident he had dreamed of, and the fact that he had been reading The Hunt for Red October. He hadn't thought it would trigger his memories, but with his feelings so close to the surface after the therapy session, it had pushed him over the edge.

Bucky sighed and flexed his metal hand, recalling the power it had, how he was able to crush life out of people with it, and only ended up hating it more. With a noise of disgust, he unclasped his seatbelt and stood up, feeling no turbulence at all. SHIELD planes were the smoothest he had ever felt.

He walked into the bathroom and locked the door behind him. Leaning against the counter, Bucky looked into the mirror as he had this morning and saw a haunted face. It seemed to him that the closer they got to London the deader his eyes looked.

"Perfect, I look like my old self again." He muttered.

Turning the water on, he leaned down and splashed his face, trying to calm down. He felt nothing like his old self. He felt panicky and worried. He desperately didn't want to be here, but he also wanted to destroy Hydra.

"Fuuuck" he moaned, sliding to the floor of the bathroom. He had felt the fear overcoming him out in the cabin and knew that coming in here was safer for him and everyone else. Bucky slid into a flashback of his Winter self.

_He was standing atop a building, firing a gun down at people, feeling relish at the thought of the mission being almost completed. His henchmen were surrounding him, firing as well. Innocent bystanders fell under their bullets; he heard a child scream._

Bucky came back to himself in the bathroom with a jolt and realized that someone was in there with him; strong arms wrapped around him. He looked into the face of Rose and recoiled, pushing her away.

"NO! Get out!" He shouted, terrified he would hurt her.

He sat with his knees pulled up to his chest, his metal arm tucked in, his good arm used to push her away. "Please, I could hurt you. GET OUT!" he pleaded.

Rose stayed where she was and whispered, "Shhh Bucky, it's ok, you won't hurt me. I know. I'm stronger than you think. Shhhhh"

Bucky slowly lowered his arm and stayed in the corner, shaking, and covered in sweat.

Rose moved slowly, sitting across from him, and saw him tense even further. She made no further moves, except to pull out her Ipod and turn on the music they had picked out for times like this. Soft classical music flowed out.

Rose remembered the first time she had heard his screams through the monitoring equipment in her bedroom. It had been at 2am, she had been sound asleep and his howls of pain had cut through her sleep like nothing she would ever forget. She had grabbed her gun and raced across the hallway to hastily unlock his door and find him screaming in his sleep.

She remembered that the therapist had told her it could prove deadly to wake him, but she couldn't bear to hear him scream, and see him thrash as though being tortured. She had tucked her gun into her pajamas waistband and called out his name, but he hadn't woken. Swallowing back her fear, she had leaned over the bed and shaken him.

When his eyes popped open and he grabbed her arm with his metal hand, she had bitten back a scream. He had lept out of bed and pushed her back against the wall, choking her, his eyes unfocused. When she had tried to break free he had split her lip by punching her in the face. She had started calling his name, "James" until he snapped out of it, and he had backed away, horrified.

He had fallen to the ground, crying, and Rose had pulled out her Iphone to play classical music, soothing both of them as she held him. Rose was thankful that they had figured out a routine for calming him, and that she was able to help, in what little way she could.

She watched him for nearly 30 minutes as he started to untense and then moved herself to sit beside him again. Part of protecting him was being able to pick up the pieces from incidents like this. He flinched when she rested her hand on his metal one, but it was part of her method. She knew he despised it, and she did it as a way to communicate to him that she did not find it or him disgusting.

She rubbed the back of his metal hand softly, until he relaxed and allowed her to wind her fingers through his. She felt him shudder, and felt her heart break at his insistence on hating himself. They sat that way for a few minutes until she looked over at his face and saw that he was struggling not to cry. Pulling her hand free, Rose wrapped both arms around his shoulders, tucked his head into her neck, and held him tight.

"Shhh Buck, just let it go. Don't hold onto it. It'll kill you, come on, let it go." At her words, she felt him shudder and start to sob, deep heaving tears. His hands grabbed onto her and held on for dear life. She was glad his face was in her neck so he wouldn't see her own silent tears stream down her face.

After a time, she felt him quiet and she removed her arm from around the front of his body, and discreetly wiped her face. Bucky shifted his head to her shoulder for a moment and then sat up fully, her arm falling away. He stood up, his long hair falling in his face, and offered her his metal hand. Rose took it gratefully and stood, wincing as her knees cracked.

They stood for a moment, facing each other, with Bucky staring determinedly at the ground, and Rose staring at him. She reached a hand up and brushed his hair out of his face. She saw his face flinch at her touch and wondered at the reason why.

She rested her palm on his cheek, "Bucky, look at me." A long moment passed and he refused. "James, look at me."

His eyes popped up to her when she used his proper first name, something she never did. She smiled at him gently, "It's ok Bucky. I'm not mad at you. We all have our demons. We all struggle. Please just let me know when you think you are having a problem so I can try to help. That is what I am here for. I won't let you fall. I am your safety net."

Bucky took her words and knew she meant them, but was scared he would hurt her. Scared he would hurt everyone.

"I could kill you" he whispered, "You could break so easily, I remember that. I remember how to break a person. It scares me."

Rose saw the terror in his eyes and made a decision. She took her hand off of his face, grabbed his metal hand and placed it around her throat. "Do you want to kill me? Then do it. If you don't, then remove your hand." Rose stood stock still and watched emotions flick across his face as he looked from his hand to her face.

He made a strangled noise and pulled his hand away.

"See, I know _you_ don't want to harm me. I trust you. I had an ex with PTSD and one that was just abusive. I know the difference between a man that _wants_ to hurt me and one that is in the clutches of a mental demon." Rose reached up and stroked his cheek, "We'll get through this Bucky. I promise." She turned and walked out of the bathroom, knowing he needed to be alone for a little while.

Bucky turned the water on, splashed his face and neck off, and dried himself off. He wanted to punch a damn wall for crying on Rose, but damn if he didn't feel better.

Pushing his hair out of his face, he stared into mirror and wondered about Rose, neither his therapist, Fury or Hill had ever asked about about their routine for handling his flashbacks, which meant she hadn't told them... his trust in her grew exponentially, and his respect for her grew as well.

He hadn't known she had been hit by ex boyfriends.

The thought of a man hitting her made him see red, and it also made him remember the first time he had hit her. She had tried to subdue him in the middle of a nightmare and he had pinned her to the wall and split her lip. He had woken up to her chanting his name, his real first name. Seeing the blood stain her face had shocked him and he had released her.

That had been the first time she had seen him cry, and their first time figuring his demons out together.

He hated how good they were getting at it.

But the flashbacks were getting shorter, and less intense, so he knew that she was helping. Bucky sighed and turned off the water. He walked out of the bathroom and sat down in his seat, and buckled himself in. He picked up the mission portfolio that Rose had left for him, and looked across the plane to where she was reclining in her seat, apparently napping.

Seriously? He couldn't believe she was asleep already.

Then, she turned her head to him, opened her eyes and smiled. "Read the brief, know the mission and get some rest Bucky. We'll be out of the frying pan and into the fire soon enough."

He nodded and turned his attention to the brief, praying that the fire wasn't going to destroy them both.


	5. Undercover

_**AN: Hey guys! Thank you for reading! Please check out the tumblr associated with this story! thebuckybrigade. tumblr . com** _

* * *

Many hours later, Bucky had awoken from his own nap and stood over Rose, who was still sleeping. He watched her momentarily, marveling at her ability to sleep just about anywhere. He remembered their training together in Montenegro when they had been in a SHIELD training facility, undergoing hostage and POW training, and she had still fallen asleep.

She had later told him that if you couldn't control your body's reflexes in every situation as required by the job, you would die. She had needed to sleep, so she slept.

He had stayed awake for 36 hours, and had also needed multiple therapy sessions to recover from the flashbacks that the training session had brought on.

Bucky looked down at her now and smiled at her sleeping form, curled into the airplane chair, short curly brown hair draped across her face as she snored softly. Bucky reached out and shook her shoulder gently, "Rose….Rose. Hey, it's time to get up. We need to change into mission gear and do one last run through of our details."

Rose made a small noise of agreement and stood , yawning, "Nnnnnggggg….Ok, gimme like 30 minutes in the bathroom and I'll be ready, ok?" she asked as she grabbed the duffel bag by her feet and headed to the bathroom.

"Sure thing" Bucky muttered to the empty room, sitting back down to wait for her.

* * *

Rose stood staring into the mirror, looking at herself, wondering what the mission would change about her this time. Sighing, she pulled off her jeans and t-shirt and set about prepping her new persona, Jade.

She started by straightening her normally curly, chocolaty brown hair. It was cut chin length and angular with bangs, highlighting her cheekbones and downplaying the fact that her cheeks were too full, or at least Rose thought they were. Everyone said she had great dimples, so what did she know.

After she had straightened her hair Rose slathered on Stella McCartney body lotion and sprayed on the perfume to hold the scent. Rose focused on her eyes next, darkening the lashes with mascara and going dramatic with liquid liner. Her green eyes popped and looked dramatic, fierce.

After applying her foundation and Merlot colored lipstick, she turned to her clothes. The outfit would help to complete the persona of Jade, the assassin who was partners with the Winter Soldier.

Rose pulled out the black, backless halter top jumpsuit and slid into it. The piece-de-resistance, the classic black Louis Vuitton's. With a few choice pieces of jewelry, and Rose was done, Jade was in place. She looked into the mirror and saw a woman who exuded lethality, sex, and a do not fuck with me attitude.

Smirking, Rose packed up her bag and exited the bathroom.

Bucky looked up at the sound of the bathroom door opening. He felt like his world shifted on its axis as he took in the sight of Rose. She wasn't herself anymore...she was darker, shaper around the edges, and...fuckable...that was the only word he could come up with.

Rose raised an eyebrow at his extended staring and he flushed, averting his eyes for a moment and then came back, as she walked past to drop her bag on the chair beside him. _Christ on a stick! Were those tattoos?!_ He thought his brain was going to drop out of his skull and wander away.

Bucky cleared his throat, "Uh, so what are the tattoos about? I wouldn't have expected a lady like you to have them."

When he saw her shoulders tense, he knew he had said the wrong thing.

"Well, I'm not the most ladylike lady there Buck-o. The Sparrow on my shoulder is for my mom who passed away from cancer when I was a teenager, it's meant to be from the bible, "and not even a sparrow shall fall without his eyes knowing", something like that. The pansies woven with ivy are for every person I've had to kill. I use pansies because they were my mother's favorites and I hope that by using her flower I can earn her approval for what I've had to do."

By this time Rose had turned to face him and was looking at him quite coldly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. I just never imagined you would have tattoos. I keep forgetting what a different time this is. They're beautiful, and even more so in meaning."

Bucky looked at Rose with such sincerity that she had to suppress a laugh, she hadn't really been that upset. It was too fun to tease Bucky, and she had far too much fun yanking his chain.

Rose grinned, "I'm kidding, it's cool Bucky. Lots of women have tattoos today Bucky. Don't judge a book by its cover and all that, yea?"

Bucky nodded, "Right, guy with a metal arm. I get it."

Rose nodded and smiled. "Alright, so let's get to this mission. I need to understand better than what was in that portfolio how these contacts of yours will expect me to act with them and with you." Rose said as she sat down, indicating for Bucky to do the same.

She noted how good he looked in his "costume" of charcoal grey slacks, emerald green button down shirt, and black loafers. She knew that they would look good together, but sitting next to him, she was astounded at how perfect they looked together. Realizing that Bucky had said something, she snapped to attention.

"So we'll need you to follow almost any directive that you are given by my contacts. If they ask you to kill someone, do it. If they ask you to bring someone to them, do it. If we need to work together, follow my lead. I'm going to seem pretty emotionless, and I need you to work with that. I might even leave you behind. Don't get overly angry. Sarcasm is ok. Be yourself, but play it sexier, darker. Got it?" Bucky asked.

Rose took a moment to think and then said, "I can do that. SHIELD asked us to do this because we're the best people for this mission. I'm not scared of what we might have to do, and you shouldn't be either, I have your back."

Bucky looked into her face and nodded when he saw no fear there, but knew in his own heart there was fear. He was scared that he would slip back to his old self and not be able to come back, scared that Rose would get hurt because of him, scared that terrible things would happen. But he couldn't let that fear control him. Swallowing hard, he stared out the small window at watched as the skyline of London approached. Their mission grew close.

* * *

The Winter Soldier and Jade walked down the streets of London in silence, finally arriving at the underground rave. The man knocked on the door and spoke to the bodyguard, gaining them entry. Inside, the music pounded and flowed over them. The smell of alcohol and drugs was heavy.

They made their way to the top floor of the warehouse, once again moving through security, Jade giving the security guard a fierce look for lingering too long on her person. The Winter Soldier placed a hand at the small of her back and guided her to the private room where his comrades from years earlier awaited.

The Winter Soldier was greeted in a mix of English, German and Russian from the men in the room, whose attention was quickly caught by the silent, gorgeous woman by the Soldier's side.

The leader of the men, Dmitri, rose quickly and approached the Winter Soldier and Jade. "Who is this _shlyukha_ you bring here?" he asked as he grabed Jade's arm.

Her eyes like fire, Jade's voice was like ice, "This _shlyukha_ is far more deadly and vastly more expensive than any who have been forced to be with a _vyrodok_ like you. Now remove your hand before you lose it."

After a long, tense moment, Dmitri took his hand off of Jade's arm and turns to the Soldier, "It is good to see you comrade. We had heard you were dead. It is good to see that the rumors are not true. But please, tell me, who is this woman you bring with you?"

The Winter Soldier stood stock still and spoke, "This is my partner, Jade. We met in the US, after I attacked SHIELD. She helped me escape unnoticed, and we have been working to further destroy SHIELD. She has been an independent contractor up to this point. We work together now."

Dmitri took note of the Soldier's characteristic lack of emotion, even during his introduction of his partner. He had worried at the rumors that the Winter Soldier had been lost, but seeing him here before him, he could tell, all was as it was supposed to be. This woman however, had some work to do before he could trust her enough to send her before the PM.

Dmitri turned to Jade, "If you could be so kind as to demonstrate your skills for us, I believe we would all be more likely to trust you a little more, _v poryadke_?"

Jade gave him an icy stare and inclined her head regally. "What did you have in mind?"

Dmitri smiled, "Very good! So this is a local drug dealer, Marcus, a gang-banger, I believe you Americans would call him, no? Take care of him please."

Dmitri handed her a phone with a picture of a late 20's white male, dark brown hair, green eyes.

Jade nodded, "Where is he tonight?"

"Here in the party, downstairs, in another private area. It shouldn't be too hard for you to get in what with your skills?"

Jade smiled; her look like a razorblade. She dropped the phone into Dmitri's hand and turned to the Soldier, "See you shortly" she whispered into his ear, before grabbing his head and pulling his mouth down for a fierce kiss, "For luck" she whispered, for his ears only.

Jade's stomach trembled as she descended the stairs. She had only her bracelet with the garrote, and her small knife built into the belt on her outfit. She was essentially going in blind on this man's abilities and bodyguards.

Weaving her way between dancers, Jade made her way over to the private box and approached the bodyguards. "Hello gentlemen, I heard that Marcus is here, I was hoping to get some alone time with him?"

Jade gently arched her back, allowing her cleavage and wicked smile to work for her. The guards stammered their consent and ushered her in. Throwing them a wink with her thanks, she sauntered into the box, looking around for a moment, and then spotted Marcus.

He was a good looking man virtually surrounded by women. Jade grabbed a martini from the bar, and took a large sip. _Goddamn that was a good dirty martini._

She lingered by the bar, talking to the bartender, letting her back be to Marcus, letting him take in her outfit, her tattoos; take in her. After a few minutes of chatting, she subtly turned towards the couch where Marcus was seated and made brief eye contact, throwing up an eyebrow, daring him to come over.

She took a moment to take a large sip of her second martini, and when she looked up, he was in front of her. The talked, trading flirtations for a few minutes, until Jade rested her hand on his chest and asked, "Can you make all these people go away? It's a little too crowded in here don't you think?"

Marcus grinned drunkenly down at her and went to the women on the couch, shooing them out, along with the bartender. Jade pushed him over to the couch, seating herself on his lap, grinding her hips into his lap, able to feel that he was already aroused. "Mmmm someone's eager" she whispered in his ear.

His hands rest on her hips, encouraging her circular motions, pushing him further into oblivious arousal. Jade gently unclasped her small knife, keeping it tucked into her wrist, and continued to writhe on Marcus, kissing his neck and throat. Moving to his mouth, Jade kissed Marcus deeply while using one hand to stroke his arousal. Marcus suddenly jerked, making a short groaning noise and went still.

Jade stilled, and pulled the knife from his spinal column. She felt for a heartbeat, and got nothing. She lowered him to the couch, putting a pillow behind his head to absorb any blood that might drain out, and put an arm across his eyes as though he was passed out from too much drinking. Looking around the room, Jade noted a rear exit to the room, grabbed a leather jacket and dark hat that had been left in the room, and exited quickly.

Jade made her way back upstairs, moving at a slow pace, stopping to dance when she felt as though she was being too obvious. At long last she was back in the private box with Dmitri and the Winter Soldier. Looking to Dmitri she pulled her bloody knife out of her jacket pocket, "It's done."

Moving to the bar she grabs napkins and vodka to clean it off.

Dmitri looked after her, impressed. "Very well. We will pass along your credentials to the PM and set up a meeting for later this week. You will wait to hear from us. Please, stay and enjoy the party." Jade finished cleaning her knife and sliped it into her pocket, unwilling to reveal all her secrets, "No thank you. I believe we will head to our lodgings, and have our own party."

Jade smiled while glancing over at the Winter Soldier who remained impassive.

Dmitri laughed, "Very well. But be warned, he has ruined many women in his time."

Jade's laugh is cold, "I'm the one he needs to worry about. Good night." Walking over to the Soldier, Jade ran her hand across his shoulders and down his metal arm to take his hand as they descended the stairs and leave.

**Ok everybody, so Russian definition time! Shlyukha-whore, Vyrodok- degenerate (though apparently in Russian it's waaaay more offensive!), and v poryadke-ok. So I want to say that to anyone reading who is Russian, I probably got the words wrong, but I will beg off and say, blame Google translate! I also don't mean to be offensive to anyone who is Russian, the Russians/Germans are in fact the ones who messed with Bucky, so please don't hate! Love to you all!**


	6. Trust

Bucky stood on the balcony of the hotel, looking out over the Thames, the warm summer evening breeze ruffling his hair. He listened to Rose in the shower and thought about the kiss she had laid on him back at the warehouse. He was glad he had been so deep in character, otherwise he might have responded more.

As it was, he had responded to her heated, open mouthed kiss; had almost groaned at the taste of her. For once he was glad to have that iron control from the Winter Soldier hold him still. When he had felt her warm breath on his neck, he had thought he was going to give them away. He remembered the women he had been with as the Winter Soldier, and Dmitri was right, he had ruined them.

He had been violent and rushed to his own pleasure. That was not who Bucky was. It made him ill thinking of those women.

The feelings that Rose had stirred, those had been new. Bucky hadn't been with a woman since he had woken up, and he had doubts that any woman would want to be with a broken man like him. Steve had tried to encourage him to go out on dates, and try internet dating, but Bucky had resisted. He had gone out on only one date with a woman, and when she had seen his metal hand, she had smiled politely and had gotten an "emergency" call from a friend.

He hadn't felt that bad in a long time, and when he had told Steve about it, Steve had clapped him on the back, and grinned, "Now you know how I felt all those times you set me up!" Bucky had grinned and shaken it off, but hadn't dated since. Now he had Rose eliciting these feelings, and he knew he needed to fight them, for both of their sakes.

Bucky heard the water of the shower turn off and tensed when he heard the bathroom door open.

"Hey, I'm all done. It's all yours."

Bucky turned around, mentally preparing himself, but still not ready when he saw Rose, wet, in a towel, face pink from the shower. Bucky suppressed a groan at the sight of the towel pushing her breasts up and barely covering her lower half.

"Uhh, did you want a shower Bucky?" Rose asked with a grin.

"Yea, yea. Did you leave me any hot water?" Bucky joked as he walked into the bathroom, trying not to look at Rose.

Rose grinned as the bathroom door shut behind Bucky. She had seen the lust burn in Bucky's eyes before he escaped to the bathroom. She would be lying if she said she wasn't thinking the same thoughts. She had been worried about them being in the same room for the mission, let alone the same bed, but their covers required it. They hadn't discussed it, but she was worried that they may be under surveillance, and that….performing might become necessary.

Sighing, Rose dropped her towel and pulled on her underwear, lace boxershorts and a cotton tank top. She sat down at the vanity and brushed her hair out, wiped off the last of her makeup and then turned to look at the enormous king bed.

"Fuck this" she whispered, grabbing her book out of her bag, heading over to the bed, pulling the extra pillows off and sliding under the covers. Rose read until she felt her nerves calm, and slowly lost herself in the book. Her Iphone played classical music softly, and the curtains ruffled in the night breeze.

Rose barely registered the bathroom door opening and Bucky exiting in only a towel. She was at a heartpounding spot in her book and was engrossed.

Bucky looked at Rose as he exited the bathroom, and gave a small smile, seeing that she was wrapped up in a book, something she would rarely be able to do when they were on missions. He walked over to his suitcase and pulled out his boxers, before deciding that Rose was distracted enough for him to slide them on under the towel quickly. Bucky moved swiftly, and walked the damp towel back the bathroom.

He turned the large overhead light off as he entered the room, earning him a "Hey!" from Rose, before he flicked on the bedside lamps. He grinned sheepishly at her, "Sorry!"

She smiled back, "That's ok, let me just finish this chapter and then we can talk ok?" He laughed and nodded.

Bucky pulled the pillows into a more comfortable position and laid back, crossing his arms behind his head, relishing in the large comfortable bed. Admittedly, his bed at home was comfortable, but after travelling and the stress of the evening, this was heaven. A few minutes later Rose gave a deep sigh, bookmarked her novel, and turned on her side to face him.

"Okay, so tonight was….interesting" she said with an inscrutable look. "How are you doing so far?"

Bucky sighed, "Tonight wasn't bad for me. You were the one that they asked to kill someone. Are you ok?"

Rose stilled, her face drawn and shut off, and then spoke, "Yea. It was in no way fun, but I guess it just means I need to get another pansy when we get home." She smiled grimly at him. "Bucky, there is something we should talk about. I think that after tonight they will probably be watching us. I don't know with what level of intensity, but they will be. And after the show I gave, they may be expecting to see….physicality."

Rose went silent, letting him process. Bucky closed his eyes, steadying his breathing as images of Rose and he in various positions flurried through his mind. He could almost hear her moaning his name….FUCK.

"Umm, I think that if we observe anyone who appears to be following us or watching us, then we can provide them with the evidence they would need to solidify our covers."

Rose took a moment to puzzle out his meaning, "So that would be a yes, we should do what is necessary?" Bucky opened his eyes, looked at Rose and nodded.

She smiled at him, "Okay".

Bucky was puzzled, _Okay,_ how was she _okay_ with this? She would have to sleep with a broken half-man. He supposed she was able to do what it took for the mission. He still felt awful that it had to be with him. She was a woman that deserved better.

Rose smiled again at him and reached out to stroke his cheek, "Come on, let's get some sleep, who knows what we'll have to do tomorrow." Bucky nodded and rolled over to turn off the lights. He stayed facing away from Rose, though he was still able to feel her, so close, yet not touching him.

Rose lay awake for a long time, listening to Bucky's breathing even out as he fell asleep. She had wanted nothing more than to drop her towel when she got out of the shower and see what he would do, though knowing Bucky, he would stammer and run away. After their kiss in the warehouse and her touching him, she had been so keyed up when they got back that she had immediately called dibs on the shower.

She had turned her music on loudly, and had started to touch herself, imagining it was Bucky instead. Normally, she was loud, no matter if it was just her, or a vibrator or a man, Rose couldn't help it. Tonight, she had stifled her moans into a washcloth as she came.

Now, as she lay next to Bucky, she wished she could do all the things she had been fantasizing about in the shower. But she knew how Bucky felt about himself, it was written all over his face. She didn't know how to change that.

Sighing with frustration, Rose moved slowly, rising out of the bed. She grabbed a bottle of champagne and headed out onto the balcony. Rose looked out at the city, still glowing with life even at 3am. Sighing, she opened the champagne and poured a glass, sipping the champagne, and looked down at the street below.

She clenched her glass when she recognized one of Dmitri's men, even from the 5th floor. "What's wrong?" she heard Bucky ask quietly from behind her. She felt him moving up behind her, and then move to stand next to her.

She smiled at him, "Don't react. One of Dmitri's men is down on the street. I guess our surveillance started early." She handed him the glass of champagne and smirked as he downed it. Moving closer, she plucked the glass from his hand and set it on the small table behind him. Winding her arms around his neck, Rose used her hips to push Bucky against the railing so that they were both visible to the street.

Grasping his hair with one hand, Rose pulled his head down and kissed him fiercely, until they were both breathless. "What do we do now?" She asked him, wanting the decision to be in his hands.

Bucky took a deep breath, "Nothing. We made a show there, and now I'm going to give you the Winter Soldier."

He grabbed her face with his metal hand, squeezing painfully, tilting her head back. He spoke in a carrying voice, "I said no. We're done for tonight. Don't make me bruise your pretty face."

Rose whimpered and stuttered, "F-fine." Bucky released her and walked stiffly back into the room. Rose stood a moment and then followed him back in.

Rose slid under the covers once more and was shocked to find Bucky shaking. She called his name softly, and was relieved to see him flinch, that meant he wasn't having a flashback. Making a decision, Rose cuddled up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, holding on tightly even when she felt resistance.

"Shhh, it's ok Bucky. I'm ok. You're ok." Rose held tightly to Bucky until his shaking stopped and he whispered, "I'm going to turn over."

Bucky turned to face Rose and surprised her by wrapping his arms around her tightly. She snuggled into his chest, and was surprised when he let her stay that way.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you" Bucky whispered.

Rose shook her head,"I'm fine, I promise" she whispered back. Bucky lifted her chin up to look at her face and winced when he saw red marks from his hand.

Rose sighed, "Bucky, it's ok, it's nothing makeup can't cover. I don't bruise easily, and it'll be gone by morning. I'm fine." He shook his head and tried to roll away, but was stopped when Rose grabbed his shoulder, "Hey, stop. This is my job. If I get hurt, or killed, it's my job. It's my job to help protect you, to bring down Hydra, and to get you home safe. I accept that, and you need to as well. I know this is scary for you, but we can do this, if you trust that I'm strong enough for this."

Bucky swallowed and whispered, "I trust you. I don't trust me."

Rose leaned in and kissed his heartbeat in his throat softly, "I do. Trust my trust."

Bucky nodded slowly, and held her close, hoping that his trust in her would be enough.

They soon fell asleep, limbs entwined, finding that their trust in each other had grown stronger. For now, all was well.


	7. The Game

Rose rolled over in bed and stretched languorously, enjoying the feel of the soft sheets against her bare legs. She opened her eyes, having been awakened by the sounds of the London traffic outside their balcony. Turning on her side, Rose looked out and saw that Bucky was sitting out on the balcony with what looked like breakfast.

The clock beside the bed caught her eye and she was shocked to see it was 10:15am. Rose never got to sleep in anymore, and relished the opportunities when she had them. Smiling, she got out of bed, smoothed out her hair, and grabbed her cardigan before heading out onto the balcony.

Bucky looked up at her as she came out and smiled at her, a genuinely happy, Bucky smile. It warmed her through and she smiled back happily.

"Good morning. I ordered some breakfast for us. There's tea for you." He gestured to the teapot and Rose gave a small noise of delight as she sat down.

Bucky laughed at her reaction, "I've never known anyone who wasn't British who was so happy to have tea."

Rose poured the hot water over the tea diffuser filled with Earl Grey, and added lemon, cream, and honey with a dollop of sugar. "That's just because you drink swill known as coffee and won't let me make you a cup of heaven" she said, smiling as she stirred her tea. Rose picked out a bagel to have with her tea and smeared it with cream cheese, adding a large pile of fresh fruit to her plate.

Bucky loved watching her eat, she never picked at her food or pretended she wasn't hungry, and she always reveled in her meals, taking delight in how it was prepared. Rose sat back, closing her eyes, sipping her tea, enjoying the warm sun on her face, aware that Bucky was watching her, but unwilling to say anything first.

Bucky took his time reading the newspaper and eating his breakfast, all the while sneaking glances at Rose, who was eating her breakfast and sunning herself beside him. When Rose had finished her breakfast but had made no move to get up he finally spoke, "So, we've had no contact from Dmitri or any of his people overnight."

Rose nodded thoughtfully, "So what should we do today? They said they would contact us."

"We should probably stay in the room" Bucky said absentmindedly, looking out over the city.

Rose quirked an eyebrow, " _Right,_ well I suppose if you're up for going all day, I can make that happen" she said with a wicked grin.

Bucky's head snapped around, his bright blue eyes going wide at her insinuation. He coughed, choking on his words, "I-ah-um…Perhaps phrased that wrong?"

Rose stood up from the table, laughing softly and patted his chest before walking into the room tossing her words over her shoulder, "Well, for now why don't we do touristy stuff. See what we have energy for later, eh?" Bucky heard her laughter continue as she went into the bathroom, presumably to get dressed.

"Shit!" Bucky ran a hand over his face and pushed his hair out of the way. "SHIT!" he said again, wishing there was a way to get her out of his head. Her coy words had once again led to images of them, together, in his head. The idea of them spending all day in bed together….amazing. He wanted that, but they needed to focus on the mission. FOCUS. Bucky groaned softly, stood, and walked back into the room, if he was going to play both Winter Soldier and tourist, he needed to change.

* * *

Rose and Bucky spent the better part of four hours visiting landmarks such as the Tower of London, the London Eye, and Westminster, trekking all over the city in an attempt to see if their "stalker", as they had taken to calling him, would follow. Finally, after growing bored with seeing the sights of a city both had been to multiple times, Rose turned to Bucky and asked, "Can we go shopping? Pretty please? I don't ever get the chance to do shopping internationally and I would really love to try and expense it."

Laughing at her eagerness, Bucky sighed and nodded his agreement. Giving an uncharacteristic squeal of delight, she grabbed his arm and pulled him down the street to a local boutique she had wanted to check out from trips previously. Rose sighed with happiness upon entering and immediately started picking through the racks.

She picked up a blue dress with a v-cut down to the navel and asked Bucky, "How exactly is one supposed to wear this without falling out?" and laughed at his perplexed face.

"You know, I have no idea. In my day, there were a very select few women who would wear something even similar to that" Bucky said with a "if you know what I mean" look on his face.

Rose giggled and put it back on the rack, "Well I certainly don't plan on buying that little fabric for that amount of money." She continued to walk around, picking up items, asking Bucky's opinion, sometimes accepting it and putting them back, other times ignoring him and holding onto them. When she had accumulated what he thought was a large number of items, she walked to the dressing rooms and started hanging her items.

Rose pointed to the small settee outside the door and said, "Why don't you sit and give me your opinion?" Bucky gulped, nodded and sat.

Rose closed the door and smiled wickedly to herself. "Let's see if he can handle this" she whispered almost voicelessly to herself. She took off her own jeans and tshirt and replaced them with a high waisted pencil skirt, and emerald green blouse with a bow. Rose had picked out items to mimic the era he had been from, and ones from this era she had seen bring appreciation to his eyes in the past.

Opening the door she sauntered out and did a slow turn, savoring the look on Bucky's face. "What do you think?"

Bucky thought he was in trouble. The outfit was one he would have seen before he went to war with Steve, before Hydra, before everything, and man…did Rose have the body for it. He nodded, "You look great Rose." She didn't just look great, she looked amazing, tantalizing, and he crossed his arms over his chest, feeling the urge to grab her and run his hands over her.

He watched her smile slowly, like she was savoring something sweet. Shit….he was in so much trouble.

"What else do you have?" he asked quickly, hoping to get this over rapidly.

"Hold on, be right back" Rose said as she shut the door behind her. "I think I found something for us to use tonight. I think we should go out to a club. I mean we can't just wander around the city."

The door opened again and Bucky swore to God his heart stopped. Rose was standing before him in a black dress that barely covered….anything. With a corset top made of sheer lace and a spandex bottom, her body was shown in wonderful, excruciating detail.

Rose cocked her head to the side, "What do you think?" she asked innocently, fully aware that Bucky was struggling to find words.

Bucky finally looked up to her face, and said, "I think that every man in the club will wish he was me. You ready to check out?" Rose was momentarily stunned at his flippant response, and then thought to herself, _Way to go Bucky! Time to get in the game!_

Turning her back to him she asked, "Can you unzip me? Then I'll be ready to go." There was a moment of nothingness, and then she felt his warm body behind her, and then his large hand pulling the zipper down, down, down. She heard him suck in his breath when he saw she wore no bra, and took in the sight of her plain black lace rimmed underwear.

He stood behind her, hand resting on her waist, breath hitting her shoulder, wrestling with himself. Just one touch…that's all…it wouldn't hurt anything. COME ON. His body shouted at him to touch her, but the rational part of his brain that was focused on the mission screamed it was a bad idea.

Rose could feel the warmth of Bucky's hand on her waist; she could practically feel him thinking, trying to make a decision. She wanted to grab him and pull him into the dressing room and kiss him, but it needed to be his decision, so she stood still, feeling his warm breath on her shoulder, sending little shivers of pleasure over her body.

His resistance broke; his hand slid inside the dress, grabbing her waist, pulling her against him. Bucky pushed them into the dressing room, out of sight, and began to kiss her neck, eliciting quiet moans from both of them. Rose pushed her hips back into his, winding her arm back to grip his head, pulling him tighter against her, "Don't stop Bucky" she moaned.

Her breathy moan goaded him on and he kicked the door shut behind them, pushed Rose against the wall, breaking away and kneeling down to trail kisses down her back, drawing a gasp from Rose. He knew she had been trying to get a rise out of him with the clothes, and he also knew that they were in public, but his body didn't want to listen to that reasoning.

Placing one last kiss to the small of her back, he stood abruptly, cutting off the kisses and zipped up the dress, leaning in to whisper, "Two can play that game" before walking out of the dressing room, shutting the door behind him.

Bucky's heart was pounding as he walked out of the dressing room. He had to stop and adjust himself, and then continued out into the main store. What had he been thinking? What was he doing? He should go back in and finish what he started.

The idea was so appealing he almost turned around. Bucky stopped himself by thinking of the fact that they were in public and that it had been a year since he had consciously been with a woman. He needed to make anything that happened with Rose last longer than ten minutes and not be in a shop dressing room. God damn.

Rose stood in shock, head against the dressing room wall. Her heart was pounding, and she was fighting the urges to either go after Bucky, throw him on the floor and get what they both needed, or kill him. It was a tough call at this point. Which was why she was currently mimicking a statue.

Rose thought while she stood. She had mentioned a club, but not what type. _Two can play the game, huh, well get ready Bucky, because now the other player is ready to lie cheat and steal to win-_ she thought to herself.

Grinning, Rose stripped off the dress and pulled on her own clothes. She had prep work to do for tonight and dinner was in order, as well as calling a contact to get them into the club. Smiling widely, she put her items on the rack and walked over to Bucky who was waiting by the door.

"Ready to go?" she asked, smiling, giving no indication as to her thoughts. Bucky looked at her warily, not trusting her easy, open smile.

"I didn't like the dress, it wasn't the right look for tonight. So, why don't we go get some dinner?" Rose smiled again at him as she walked out the door, Bucky close behind, wondering if he had started something he couldn't finish.


	8. The Club

Bucky sat on the balcony of their hotel room, waiting for Rose, who was currently in the bathroom "prepping". That word alone made him nervous.

She had been funny, sarcastic, lighthearted, basically herself all through dinner, and had made no mention of the dressing room incident. When they had gotten back to the room she had laid down on the bed to read for awhile, almost completely ignoring him while he worked out. He had kept a wary eye on her, waiting for something to happen.

She had occasionally made eye contact with him while he worked out and he had seen a burning hunger there, but she was quick to smile and go back to her book.

Now, he waited, hoping that whatever she had planned for tonight wasn't…too…outrageous. Bucky's head came up as he heard the bathroom door open and Rose exited, looking, surprisingly….less outrageous than he had been anticipating. She was wearing black leather jeans, and a corset top with high heels, and surprisingly light eye makeup.

Bucky had been expecting something more dramatic after their incident this afternoon, perhaps had even been hoping for something more.

She smiled at him and grabbed her denim jacket, "Let's get going, we don't want to be late."

Bucky just nodded thinking, L _ate? To a club? Is that possible?_

They walked in near silence, occasionally remarking on what a nice evening it was, or to offer a comment on the fact that their stalker was still with them. They finally arrived at the club, a nondescript looking brick building, with Rose leading the way up to the third floor on the outside stairs. She knocked on the door and they were greeted by a large bouncer who leaned down to exchange words with Rose . He nodded and ushered them into a quiet coat room.

Rose handed her coat to the woman behind the counter and after Bucky had done the same told him, "Go with the bouncer. I'll be there in a minute. I have to talk to someone. It's important."

Bucky was confused, and hesitant to leave Rose alone, but trusted that if she needed to talk to someone about something important in private, there was a good reason for it. He was led off by the bouncer to a room that he was told was "private" when he asked why it was so dark and empty.

Shrugging, he felt his way around the room and sat down on the chair. He could hear music playing in the distance, but was grateful not to be out on his own, trying to dance with strangers. Bucky jerked to attention when the light in the room changed from near pitch dark to a strange bluish grey. What was happening? He was able to see the room better now and could see that no more than 15 feet in front of him was a stage…with a pole.

"Ooooo shit…."Bucky muttered. Where the _fuck_ was Rose? He bet she was watching this from behind some double paned glass…goddamn. Suddenly, music started, and a woman emerged from behind the curtain. She was wearing a pinup version of his uniform from WWII, with stilettos and aviators. She stood, holding the curtain as though uncertain, and then began to move with the music, slowly gyrating her body.

"Sweet Christ on a stick" Bucky muttered. Her platinum blond hair was tied into a bun, topped with a tiny mimic of his old hat. The woman moved slowly, making her way to the pole, swaying her hips, drawing his attention to the piercing in her belly button. Bucky swallowed hard, and pulled his jacket over his lap….it was going to be a long evening.

The woman wound herself around the pole, using impressive skill to wind, dip and twirl. As she came off the pole to the end of the second song, she walked down the stairs to Bucky.

"Hey honey, want a dance?" she asked in a throaty whisper. Bucky had been to places like this before-Steve and Tony had taken him, but there was something about this woman that was entrancing. She seemed so familiar. He nodded.

The woman smiled and tossed his jacket aside, smirking when she saw his erection pressing against his jeans. The woman sat down in Bucky's lap, pushing her bottom into his lap, grinding her hips to the music. She leaned her head back and brought her mouth close to his ear.

"You can touch me honey. I won't tell." She kept moving her hips, occasionally running her hand on the outside of his thigh, waiting. She smiled when she saw his hand come up tentatively, reaching for her waist.

When he finally touched her, she moaned softly, "Mmm, that's nice." Bucky moved quickly and put his other, metal hand on her other side, moving it up slowly to cup her breast. The woman arched her back, pushing her breasts into his hand, wanting more. Soon, they were both breathing heavily and grinding against each other.

The woman suddenly pushed Bucky's hands away and stood up, "Do you trust me?" she asked. Bucky wasn't sure he did, she was a stranger, but he wasn't thinking all that straight, so he nodded his assent. She smiled and said, "Close your eyes, and keep them closed." When he had done so, she took off her aviators and placed them on his face, and then walked around behind him, "Put your hands behind you."

Once he had done so, she took the bandana in her hair out and tied it around his wrists, tight, but not dangerously so. Walking back in front of Bucky, Rose smirked. Sitting back down on his lap, she pushed her hips into his and took satisfaction in hearing his grunt of pleasure. "Do you still have your eyes closed?" Bucky nodded; "Good boy" Rose whispered in her sultry voice.

She ran her hands up his chest to the buttons on his shirt and unbuttoned a few, dropping kisses on his chest, nipping at his collarbone, sweeping back up to snag his earlobe for a nip, his groans of pleasure sending shoots of corresponding pleasure through her. Rose brushed kisses along his temple and cheekbones, all the places on his face she wanted to kiss most often, denying herself his lips. She pulled back and started to wind her hips, her tiny shorts pressing into her core, her body pressing into his, her mouth going dry as her need grew.

Suddenly Bucky spoke, "Uhhh Ma'am….if you don't stop…We're going to have an issue soon." He sounded panicked. Rose stilled on top of him, took off his aviators and her wig, and whispered, "Open your eyes soldier." She could see it took him a moment to process that it was her, lust blinding him for a moment.

Rose sat still and spoke barely above a breathy whisper into his ear, "We have an audience. I set this up because I knew our stalker needed to see us "play". I also did this because you need to learn how to express your desire Bucky. It's ok to want. It's ok to follow through on that want. If you want me, say so. If you want to finish this back at the hotel, and stop playing games with each other, then I would suggest getting yourself out of that chair and meeting me back at the hotel."

Rose stood, grabbed her aviators, slid them on and before exiting the room looked back at Bucky. "If you want to come and finish this, I'll be in the room. If you want this to just be a partnership between us, then I suggest you get another room when you get out." Rose pulled the door shut and walked unsteadily down the hallway to the dressing room where she had gotten ready.

She quickly stripped off her pinup outfit and got back into her own clothes. Rose stopped to thank her contact on her way out, and then hurried on her way back to the hotel. The night air had cooled, and Rose knew that their little stalker was following her, probably curious as to why she was alone. Rose picked up her pace, and was relieved when the hotel came into sight.

She rapidly made her way up to their suite and locked the door behind her, worried that the man might get too curious. Rose sat down in the small living area of the suite and tried to read while she waited impatiently for Bucky. After a few minutes, Rose decided that a glass of wine was sounding better and better. Rose poured herself a glass of Riesling, took the bottle with her and grabbed a blanket before heading out to the terrace to try and relax.

Rose took out her phone and accessed the SHIELD secure network. She pulled up the archived videos that SHIELD had taken from Hydra, accessing the video of Hydra wiping Bucky's mind. She watched him writhe in pain, screaming through the mouth guard. She watched, clenching her wine glass, draining it. She closed out the video, accessing the SHIELD video of his deprogramming.

She sat in silence, tears streaming down her face as she watched him scream and rage, cry, and sit listlessly. Rose drank another glass of wine, watching video after video. Even though she had volunteered for the assignment with Bucky, something she had never told him was that it only occurred after she witnessed one of his deprogramming sessions.

She had watched for only ten minutes and then had walked away stone faced, gone to the sparring gym in SHEILD and had taken down 5 other sparring partners before Cap had shown up and fought with her. Despite being stronger it still took almost an hour for her to tap out. He had said nothing when he saw tears in her eyes as she walked away.

They had become friends after that, sparring together, and keeping an eye on Bucky together. Rose drained her wine glass again, and restrained herself from throwing it off the balcony.

Suddenly, a large hand grabbed the wine bottle. Bucky sat down opposite her and took a long pull from the bottle. "I remember those sessions. They weren't the most fun." He said with a grim smirk.

Rose said nothing, simply holding out her glass for a refill. Bucky raised his brow at her, but topped her off. Rose drank and then spoke, "I was there for one. I know."

Bucky looked at her in surprise. "It's why I volunteered. I had never seen anything so horrible done to anyone. It made me want to find Hydra and _destroy_ them. It's why I keep fighting with you everyday to let me in. To not let the darkness inside you win. I know you won't ever be the man you were before, but dammit James, you are a good man now. You just need to accept that."

Bucky took another pull from the wine bottle and then spoke, "I know you think I'm a good man. But what kind of man wants to destroy others? What kind of man remembers what he did and feels pleasure at it?"

Rose looked at the disgust and anger on his face and understood. "You remember what you did, and like it. Yea, so what. You had someone fuck around inside your brain, if that happened to me; I expect I would feel the same way. IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT."

Bucky stared out at the city, his face stony, and drank from the bottle, saying nothing.

Rose leaned forward and grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at her. "I know you. You are not that person any more. You want me right?" Bucky nodded hesitantly and Rose continued, "Ok, but you don't want to hurt me when you're with me, the way you would have if you were still the Winter Soldier, right?"

Bucky made a sound of revulsion and shook his head no.

"See? You just need an anchor. Let me be that. Hold on to how you feel about me, however that is, and use that as a navigation for how you should act."

Bucky thought for a moment, he knew how he felt about Rose. But could he say it? He opened his mouth to say something, closed it, and opened it again. He couldn't say it. He would have to show her.


	9. Our Song

Bucky took up Rose's phone and searched for the song he wanted. It was the song he had heard playing a few days earlier while Rose had been reading and he had been captivated by the sight of her in the sunlight, on her stomach, feet bobbing to the music. He smiled now, as he had then.

He hit play and the song "Between the Raindrops" by Lifehouse and Natasha Bedingfield came on. Bucky set Rose's phone down and held out his hand to her, "Our song is playing. Come on."

Rose looked up at him in shock; Bucky wiggled his metal fingers at her until she placed her hand in his and rose. Bucky wrapped his metal hand around hers and placed his other arm around her waist. Bucky held her close and reveled in the feeling of happiness radiating from his chest. Rose sighed with contentment and snuggled closer to Bucky.

"I love when you call me James, you should do that more."Bucky spoke softly into Rose's ear.

Rose smiled and spoke, "Well James, I can certainly do that." She tilted her head up and looked into his face, happiness shining from it. Bucky smiled down at her, humming along to the music, singing softly.

Rose laughed softly, "My my, I never would have thought you would have such a nice voice there James."

Bucky smiled softly, "There's a lot about me you don't know."

Rose smiled, "I can't wait to find out." They continued to dance slowly in the room, Bucky humming softly.

As the song came to an end, Bucky bent his head down and kissed Rose, softly at first, pulling her closer, pressing her body flush against his, deepening the kiss.

Bucky reached behind Rose and unzipped her corset, pulling away briefly to let it drop to the ground before spinning her around and pushing her against the wall. Bucky made a noise of appreciation at the sight of her bare back before dipping his head and trailing kisses over her neck and back, drawing breathy moans from Rose.

Bucky kneeled down and placed his hands on her waist, kissing the small of her back, slowly working his way back up. Rose felt as though her skin was on fire, until Bucky began to nibble on her neck while his metal hand came around to her breast, tweaking the nipple, pulling at it, drawing gasps and moans from Rose.

She arched her back, pushing her breasts instinctively further into his hands, moaning as he began teasing the other breast with his metal hand. Bucky continued kissing Rose's neck, drawing his own pleasure from the sound of her pleasure. His other hand dipped down, unbuttoning her jeans, his hand plunging into her pants, his thumb rubbing against her clit. Rose moaned, her hips bucking as Bucky's hands tortured her breast and clit.

Bucky suddenly stopped touching her all together for a moment, then grasped her hips, spinning her back around, kissing Rose fiercely. Rose grasped his tshirt and pulled it off, quickly followed by his pants, finally standing still for a moment to take in the sight of her man. She reached out and touched his chest where his metal arm seam began, watching his reaction, surprised to see there was little disgust left in his eyes.

Rose moved into his embrace, "Make love to me James." Bucky smiled joyfully at Rose, right before sweeping her off her feet and carrying her to the bed. Laughing, Rose leaned her head up and stole a kiss. Bucky smiled before leaning down and depositing her on the bed.

Bucky grasped Rose's jeans and tugged, pulling them off, leaving her in just her underwear. Bucky stood for a moment, taking in the sight of the woman he was in love with, but couldn't say the words to. He wanted to spend hours exploring her body, to feel her move beneath him, to hear her moan his name. Rose saw the look in Bucky's eyes and knew what he felt, and knew he wasn't going to say anything.

She held out her hand to him, beckoning for him to join her. He knelt gently on top of her, leaning down to kiss her, using a hand to draw her body up against his. Rose's hips pushed into his, grinding into his erection, making it hard for him to think. Bucky broke away, grasping Rose's underwear, yanking them off.

Bucky leaned down, placing kisses on Rose's neck, working his way down to her breasts, before taking her left nipple into his mouth, sucking, gently nipping, pulling, before he moved on to the other breast, eliciting moans from Rose, who was grinding her hips up at his, seeking out release. Bucky moved lower, kissing her abdomen, her hipbones, then lower.

Rose gasped as Bucky's tongue worked relentlessly against her clit, pushing her closer and closer to the edge. Bucky peeked up, watching Rose's face as she worked closer to the edge, her excitement pushing him to work harder. Rose felt as though there was a wildfire beneath her skin, building behind her eyes, building, as Bucky continued his skillful ministrations.

"God, James, I'm so close!" Rose moaned loudly, her fingers winding through his hair as Bucky slipped two of metal fingers inside her, working her gspot along with her clit. Bucky felt as Rose came for the first time, reveled in hearing her moan his name, loudly. Bucky rose from his crouch and kneeled above Rose, enjoying the sight of her flushed face, her breasts heaving, her crooked smile.

Rose reached up and drew Bucky down for a kiss, before wrapping her legs around his waist and rolling them over so that she sat atop him. Rose put a hand on Bucky's chest and smiled, "My turn James." She leaned down to nip and suck gently on his nipples, enjoying the groans she drew from him. Sitting back up she began to roll her hips, moaning as her sensitive clit rubbed against his erection.

Soon, Bucky began to breath faster, thrusting his underwear clad hips up at hers, his hands grasping her hips, his metal hand tighter than the other, though for Rose, not unpleasantly so. Rose stopped after a few more moments and swung off, pulling off Bucky's underwear. She knelt by his side, dipped her head and took him in her mouth.

Rose grasped the base of his erection, rubbing the spot where his balls and erection met as she skimmed her teeth over his cock, enjoying the feel of him in her mouth. Bucky groaned, trying not to thrust his hips too hard into Rose's mouth, but by GOD did she know what she was doing. He wound his metal hand into her hair, pushing her head down further on his cock.

After a few more minutes, Bucky could feel his balls tightening and spoke through gritted teeth, "Rose. Rose. Stop." Rose pulled away, before quickly resettling herself on top of Bucky's lap.

Rose guided Bucky to her entrance, slowly lowering herself on top of him, letting him fill her. Rose moaned at the feeling of finally having him inside of her, "Oh James….yes"

Bucky groaned at the sensation of her walls tightening around him. Rose began to roll her hips, moving herself up and down his length, moaning. Bucky reached up and caressed her breast with his metal hand, drawing more moans from her. Rose increased her pace, her breath coming in whimpers and gasps, "Oh god, James….Bucky!"

Bucky groaned to hear her calling his name, no matter what she called him, and thrust his hips up harder, his hands grasping her hips tightly. Rose felt another orgasm coming, and arched her back as she shouted Bucky's name through it, continuing to writhe on top of him. Rose felt as though she couldn't possibly handle any more, until Bucky sat up and pulled her hips tighter against his, pushing deeper inside of her.

Bucky wrapped his regular arm around her waist, holding Rose tightly against him, thrusting against her gspot. Rose found his mouth, kissing him deeply, pulling away, gasping for air as they raced for mutual release. Bucky felt himself getting closer to release, and worked his metal hand between them, working Rose's clit, drawing hoarse cries from her as her walls tightened around his cock, squeezing him, pulling him tighter, drawing out his own orgasm.

They both shouted out their release, Rose feeling as though her body had been lit on fire with napalm, Bucky knowing that this was the best he had ever, and would ever have.

* * *

Hours later, after Bucky and Rose had come together twice more, they lay on the floor of the bedroom by the balcony, looking out at the moon. Bucky ran his good hand up and down Rose's back. Rose lay with her head on his chest, and sighed, reaching across his chest to stroke his metal arm, smiling as she remembered how open he had become with touching her with it.

She was sleepy, but didn't want to move yet.

Rose tried to be discreet when she covered her yawn but failed to hide it from Bucky. He laughed softly at her before standing and offering his hand, "Come on doll, let's get you to bed."

Rose smiled, took his hand and stood. She looked around, spied her underwear and snatched them up, pulling them on, along with Bucky's tshirt.

He raised an eyebrow at her and she grinned back.

"I like being comfy, and your shirt smells great." He laughed and motioned for her to join him in bed, laughing harder when she jumped onto the bed and wrapped her arms around him, nuzzling his neck. Bucky wrapped himself around her, feeling joy. They slowly drifted off to sleep, unspoken love felt between them.


	10. The Gala

Rose stood in the bathroom the next morning, staring at the cellphone, at the words that would deliver her and Bucky into danger. Dmitri had confirmed that they were formally invited to the Gala that evening, and were to meet the PM.

She sighed, this was their mission, but God, she wished it was over. She just wanted to lie on a beach somewhere with Bucky and let him rest. Rose resolved herself and walked out to the bedroom and stared down at the still sleeping Bucky. She smiled at the peaceful look on his face, loath to wake him and steal it away.

Leaning down, Rose kissed his soft lips, and after a moment, was pleased when he wrapped a hand in her hair and deepened the kiss. She pulled away, laughing, "Come on sleepy head, we have work to do. We have a Gala to prepare for!"

Bucky snaked a hand out and snatched her hand, yanking her down into the bed with him. "James!" Rose giggled as she was wrapped in his embrace. Bucky smiled down at her, "We have all day, do you want to spend it prepping or….?" He lowered his head as he left off his question, kissing Rose's neck, her collarbone, drawing a light moan from her.

Rose couldn't deny that she wanted to stay in bed with Bucky all day, but they needed supplies for that night, but OH GOD…his hand had found its way between her legs and HOLY SHITBALLS she couldn't think anymore about prepping.

Bucky worked Rose's clit, watching her writhe, moaning his name, feeling himself growing hard at the sight and sound of her pleasure. He used his other hand to strip off his shirt that she was wearing and began teasing her nipples with his teeth, tugging on them, licking, and pulling. He grinned as Rose moaned louder, arching her back and thrusting her hips, trying to race toward release.

Bucky pulled his hand away from her clit and tugged off her underwear. He grabbed her hips, pulling her closer to him, lifting her right leg to his shoulder. Bucky thrust into Rose with one swift movement, delighting in her loud moan. Bucky began to move, driving deeply into Rose, reaching out to tweak her nipples with his metal hand. Rose felt her orgasm coming quickly, and moaned James' name loudly as it came crashing down on her.

Bucky continued thrusting, moaning out Rose's name loudly, thrusting harder as he felt her walls tighten around him. Bucky began to rub Rose's clit, coaxing her towards another orgasm. Soon they were both crying out loudly, Bucky coming first, explosions going off behind his eyes. Rose joined him in release a moment later, collapsing back against the bed.

They laid there, limbs entangled, until Rose spoke, "That…was an excellent distraction. But we still need to get our shit together for tonight." Bucky groaned, "Ugh woman, you're killing me!"

Rose raised an eyebrow at him, "Woman?"

Bucky made a sheepish face at her, "I'm not from this era, cut me some slack."

Rose laughed, "All right darlin', let's get to it."

* * *

Rose and Bucky walked down the street, passing store after store. They had to go to their SHIELD contact and get their outfits for the Gala, and check in. They turned into the store and were greeted by the man behind the counter, "Good Afternoon, what can I assist you with?"

Rose smiled pleasantly and handed over their Gala invitations, "We have a Gala to attend, and need outfits. Can you please help us?" The man inspected the invitations for a moment and then nodded.

"Of course, what did you have in mind?"

Rose smiled, "I was hoping for something, not too safe. Green perhaps. Backless." The man nodded, raising a brow. From their code he knew that the mission hadn't been compromised, but that they were being followed. Green light on continuing.

"Very good. And for the gentleman?" the salesman asked.

Rose nodded, "I think a nice tux with charcoal accents and an emerald tie with silver piping to match my dress would be appropriate." The man nodded again. This was no code, just a simple order.

"Give me two hours and I'll have that for you" he offered. Rose nodded, "Thank you, we'll be back."

They left the store and walked down the street to a small cafe, ordering lunch. Bucky spoke softly, "Things good?"

Rose nodded, "All set. We'll look great."

Bucky raised a brow but said nothing, their stalker was sitting two tables away. They ate lunch in relative quiet, the pressure of the man watching them keeping them quiet.

When they finished they still had forty minutes to kill, so they walked around the streets, taking quick turns and side streets until they had lost their stalker. Bucky grinned and pulled Rose into a side street, kissing her sweetly. When they broke apart Rose smiled and shook her head, "Come on, we have outfits to pick up."

"Yes ma'am" Bucky said, giving her a mock salute.

Rose laughed and pulled him down the street to the store where they picked up their respective garments, messages from SHIELD tucked into the bags. When they got back to the hotel Rose read hers quickly and burned it. Bucky did the same and looked up to her from where he sat on the bed, "All good?"

She nodded, "Just giving us the green light on the PM if necessary."

Bucky sighed and stood, they still had a few hours before the Gala, and he had a lot of nervous energy. Rose glanced at the clock and ran a hand through her hair, Bucky was going to go crazy cooped up just waiting. "Do you want to work out in the gym or go for a run?" she asked.

He nodded, "A workout would be good." Rose nodded and changed quickly. Bucky changed as well, and followed her out of the room to the gym. Soon they were lifting and having a good time passing the time working out together. After an hour they went back to the room, both sweaty but feeling better about the evening to come.

Rose stripped off her shirt and went to the bathroom to turn on the shower, coming back out to kick off her sneakers and pull off her socks and shorts. Turning, she found Bucky staring at her, standing in just his shorts, his bare chest covered in a sheen of sweat.

"You should probably not look at me like that" she whispered, feeling heat pool in her core.

Bucky stepped forward and grabbed her hip, his metal fingers cold against her sweaty body. "You should probably not look back like that" he whispered.

"I was going to take a shower" she whispered.

"Take it later" he murmured, his hand drifting up to rub his thumb over her nipple, making it stand rock hard through the fabric of her sports bra.

"Okay" she whispered, her breath coming quick. She leaned in and ran her hand over his chest and down his stomach, revelling in the feeling of his muscles flexing, until she got to his waistband. Pushing it aside, she reached down, keeping her eyes on his as she took his semi-arousal in her hand and began to stroke him, using strong, long movements.

"Fuck!" Bucky whispered, his knees trembling. He grabbed her waist and held on as she continued to stroke him, his cock growing harder and his confidence in his ability to remain standing weakened. Finally he pushed her hand away and wound his hand through her hair, kissing her fiercely, her moan hitting him low.

Rose pulled away and tugged her sports bra off, pushing Bucky against the bed, she needed him now. As she pulled her underwear off, he pushed his pants down, and she felt her mouth go dry when she saw his arousal. Pushing him down, she sat in his lap and when he thrust into her, she cried out, digging her nails into his shoulders.

Bucky gripped her waist, thrusting up sharply as Rose came down, her soft moans of his name growing louder. She wrapped an arm around his shoulder and the other hand wound in his hair, tugging slightly, drawing his mouth to hers. They touched and tasted each other, their moans filling the room as they thrust against each other, both so close to the edge, but not plunging over yet.

Rose leaned back slightly, arching her back, thrusting her hips at a different angle and moaned when Bucky tongued her nipples, sending aching shoots of pleasure through her. When his fingers began to tease her clit, she rocked against him harder, building towards the release she ached for.

Bucky could feel Rose getting close, she was moaning and crying out with pleasure at each stroke and tease of his fingers, and he was joining her, calling out her name. After a few more long strokes and teases of her clit, he felt her orgasm, her voice hoarse as she cried out his name, her fingers digging into his shoulder and scalp.

He thrust into her roughly a few more times and cried out, "Rose!" as he came, his chest heaving with exertion. They collapsed back against the bed, Bucky still inside her, both of them breathing hard.

Rose laughed softly, "We should have skipped the workout and just done that."

Bucky grinned, "We can do that next time."

Rose groaned and rolled off of him, "You are a bad influence. And I definitely need a shower now." Bucky sat up, "Can I join you?"

She shook her head, "Nope, there probably isn't any hot water left, and if there is, I'm not sharing."

Bucky frowned teasingly, "That's not nice!"

Rose grinned, "You just got _nice,_ don't push it bud."

Bucky grinned and watch her walk into the bathroom to shower. He collapsed back against the bed and smiled, she was amazing. He was going to have to tell her how he felt eventually...

* * *

Jade and the Winter Soldier stood at the edge of the room with Dmitri, waiting to be introduced to the PM. They were surrounded by glittering, dancing people, laughing and drinking. It grated on Jade's nerves. She wanted a drink. Sighing, she looked at Dmitri, "When are we taking care of this?"

He grinned at her, "Patience woman, here he comes." Dmitri motioned to a grandfatherly looking man walking towards them.

Jade raised a brow. Not what she had been expecting.

The PM came to a halt in front of them, "Well, it is a pleasure to meet you two. But I think we need to take our discussion to a more private location, yes?" He smiled at them before walking through a wood paneled door next to them.

Jade and the Soldier followed. Jade was interested to see that there were two other men already in the room. Instead of being dismissed, they were greeted warmly by the PM. He turned to them, "Excuse me, please let me introduce, Mr. Sergey Enache, and Senator Clive Johnson."

Jade and the Soldier moved to shake hands with the men, murmuring polite introductions. The PM smiled broadly, "Well! Now that that is taken care of, let's get down to business." "We would like to utilize you and your impressive skills to take down SHIELD. You will begin in Turkey, at the SHIELD base located there."

Jade nodded sharply, "What else would you need of us?"

The PM smiled, "Excellent. We would also like you to take care of any targets we assign you."

Jade looked to the Soldier who nodded and spoke quietly, "Very well. "

Jade looked to the Russian and the Senator, "Anything you gentlemen would like?" They glanced at each other, and then looked back.

The Russian leered at Jade, "How much extra for an evening with you?"

Jade laughed, "Oh sweetie, you can't afford me." She looked back to the PM, "If that's everything?"

He nodded, "Please, enjoy the party."

Jade bowed her head gracefully and waited for the Soldier to exit the room before following him. She turned, and looked at the Russian, "You might not want to make an offer like that in front of him again, he doesn't like to share, and I would hate to see you die." She smiled, razor sharp, and glided out of the room.

The men looked at each other, with raised eyebrows. The Senator finally spoke, "Well. I guess the rumors are true about him. Remind me not to forget to pay him." Chuckling, the PM motioned for the men to follow, "Come gentlemen, let us return to the party."

* * *

Rose and Bucky sat on the bed; Rose between Bucky's legs, leaning against his chest. She had just sent an encrypted message to SHIELD and telling them what Hydra had requested of them. Director Fury had directed them to go dark. Ditch their phones and go deep into their covers.

Now that SHIELD knew, they would pull their agents into the Turkey hub and keep them protected. They now knew that they would be alone, only able to rely on each other for this mission. They sat in silence, holding on to each other.

Rose turned slightly, facing Bucky. "Hey, look at me. I need you to be strong. We are going dark. You are going to have to be the Winter Soldier more. Do more terrible things. But I will be there, and I will do as much of it for you as I can. Ok?" Bucky looked into Rose's eyes and saw love and strength there.

He took strength from her and nodded, "OK." He rested his forehead against hers, simply trying to absorb as much of this moment as possible, knowing they would have few tender moments left. They were well and truly in the fire now. He would be the Winter Soldier again, and walk through hell for her.

* * *

**Thank you guys for reading! I hope you liked the chapter, the next ones will be...explosive. :D**


	11. Turkey

Jade and the Winter Soldier walked down the side streets of Turkey; Jade clad in a hijab, the Soldier with dark aviators covering his eyes. They had been in Turkey for a week, and had been tracking an agent of SHIELD for three days, one who hadn't gone back into the hub. The man had been trying to get back into the hub, but it was on lockdown.

He had been using safe house after safe house, eluding them by moments. They were close now, tracking him to a local café. Jade turned up the collar of her jacket, "Leave this to me."

She shoved her hands into her cargo pants pockets and walked down the street toward the café, where the agent was using the phone, most likely trying to make contact with SHIELD. Jade wandered into the café, ordered a Turkish tea to go, and after receiving her cup, brushed past the agent, and made her way back out of the café.

He would never feel the small needle prick. He would be dead in 24 hours. She walked back through the alley ways, twisting and turning until she reached the Soldier, long ago having dropped the wiped off needle into a trash can. They walked in silence until they reached their tiny apartment that Hydra had provided them.

As they went upstairs, Jade's phone rang, Dmitri was calling. "Hello Dmitri, what can we do for you?" she asked as they entered the apartment.

"Hello Jade my beauty. We require your services. Agent Coulson will be in town tomorrow and we need him captured or killed. Got it?"

Jade had put Dmitri on speaker and now the Soldier spoke, "Which do you prefer?"

Dmitri chuckled, "Dead obviously. We know your skills are…vast. We give you the other option in case you feel there is valuable information to be found."

The Soldier grunted his approval before walking away and Jade spoke, "Very well Dmitri, will we be receiving a schedule for his arrival or do we just guess?"

Dmitri laughed, "We have an estimate on where he should be arriving. With the SHIELD Hub on lockdown we don't expect him to go there directly, so it's most likely to be at an alternate site. There will be two alternate points of arrival sent to for this reason."

"Very well, thank you Dmitri." Jade hung up the phone, dropping it on the counter. She sighed, pulling off the hijab. She needed a shower. Walking into the bedroom she stripped off her jacket and tshirt, kicking off her boots. The Soldier came out of nowhere, grabbing her arms, pushing her against the wall roughly, painfully smacking her head against the wall.

He grabbed her face with his metal hand, tilting her head back, "Now it's my turn for some fun" he whispered in her ear. Jade was prepared for this; he had been wrapped tightly all week. Jade tried to push back against his hand holding down her arm and found it to be equally strong. He smiled coldly at her, "This isn't about you, so stop."

* * *

Jade stood in the shower, her muscles aching. The Soldier had not been kind. He had taken his pleasure and left her. She let the hot water run over her body, already able to see where the bruises were forming. Jade shut off the water and climbed out of the shower, groaning softly as she toweled off.

She wrapped the towel around her and walked out the empty bedroom, relieved to see that the Soldier was gone for the moment. She dressed in her cargo pants and a light cotton long sleeve shirt. She sat down to the laptop at the kitchen table and looked over the email from Dmitri. The three entry locations were far enough apart that getting from one to the other would be highly difficult if not impossible.

She routed out paths and decided that it would be best if she went to the main location and if the Soldier went to the secondary location. They would have to ask Hydra for a third team member to cover the third. Coulson's estimated arrival time was tomorrow at 8am. That left them a little over 12 hrs to map out escape routes, and pick a holding spot if they decided to take Coulson alive.

Jade's body jerked instinctively when she heard the front door open. The Soldier came in, grabbed a beer from the fridge, and smiled coldly at her. Jade's face didn't have an expression as she spoke, "We have arrival details for the three locations. I'll request a third person from Hydra. Take a look at the details."

The Soldier nodded and peered over her shoulder at the screen.

She pulled out her phone and called Dmitri, "Dmitri, hey, yea. We'll need a third to cover that other location. Yes, I'll email you back the details." She hung up without saying goodbye or anything else.

The Soldier watched her, curious to see the lack of emotion on her face.

She looked up at him, "If you don't mind I have planning to do, and we need to prep for tomorrow morning." He nodded at her and walked away.

Jade let out an almost inaudible sigh of relief. She set about planning the mission, drinking beer, and snacking.

When she no longer heard motion from the bedroom she went in, climbed into bed, and lay still. Jade winced as the Soldier rolled over, snoring in his sleep. She relaxed slightly, falling into an uneasy sleep. Tomorrow would bring more death and destruction. Joy.

* * *

**The next day**

Jade sat in the very top of the control tower, on the outside, staring through the sniper rifle sun was warm and the breeze was light, making her perch comfortable. It would have been a pleasant experience, if she wasn't waiting to kill someone. All things considered, she had been in worse places she supposed.

It was nearly 8am, and no planes were scheduled to come into the airstrip. That didn't mean anything, because if SHIELD was bringing Coulson in then it would be an under the radar flight. She tensed as a small charter Cessna came into sight. She watched as it landed, taxied into position, and lowered its stairs.

A man came down the stairs…who was not Agent Coulson. She waited five more minutes and still no Coulson. She whispered into her radio to the Soldier, "No target here."

She only had to wait a moment till she heard, "Negative here."

She sat waiting for their third to check in, growing worried and impatient. After a few more minutes, she disassembled her gun, put it back into her case and began her descent from the tower. She ran to her motorcycle, climbed aboard and raced to the Soldier's position, her heart racing.

She came to a screeching halt at his tower and wasn't surprised to see him striding towards her. He climbed onto the back of the bike and wrapped an arm around her, "GO."

They raced off to the third location, trying to raise their third man. Nothing. They stopped 500 yards away and made their way to the private jetway. Jade's heart rate picked up when she heard gunfire in the distance. She and the Soldier ran, keeping low, towards the runway.

They came into sight of a small plane with a cluster of SHIELD agents firing at their third man. Jade was able to see Agent Coulson among them, still alive.

"Come on" the Soldier shouted over the gunfire, leading her into the situation.

They joined their man, taking out agent after agent, until only Coulson was left. Jade stood, shouting to him, "Drop it Coulson." Agent Coulson stood, dropping his gun, walking towards them hands in the air. As Jade and the Soldier walked out from behind the hangar, a group of men in black Hydra gear swarmed them, guns pointed at Coulson.

Coulson had just moments from when he first saw the men before the hail of bullets rained upon him, and made a wild, running dive back towards the plane. He landed heavily on the stairs, taking a bullet to the shoulder, before scrambling up the stairs, the bullets chasing him the whole way.

"TAKE HIM DOWN! DO NOT LET THAT PLANE LEAVE!" the leader of the Hydra team shouted. Jade and the Soldier stood, watching, both confused as to where these extra men had come from. Dmitri hadn't said that there would be back up, or that they knew for certain that Coulson would be at this site. Her gut twisted, this was bad.

Jade was spurred forward by the sight of the Soldier moving forward, firing at the plane, trying to prevent it from leaving. She raised her gun and fired as well, but the plane climbed into the air, unhindered by the bullets.

As the plane took off, the leader of the Hydra unit screamed his rage. He turned to his men, "Take down the traitors."

They turned their guns on Jade and the Winter Soldier. Jade froze, her hand wrapped tightly around the Soldiers' arm. Her other hand was wrapped tightly around her gun. The Hydra men stood, guns pointed at them. Every instinct in her body screamed that if they tried anything, they would die.

The Hydra leader spoke to them, "You either come with us now, peacefully, or you die now." Jade looked to the Soldier, seeing nothing in his expression. She dropped her gun, raising her hands slowly. The Soldier glared at the men for a long, tense moment and then slowly lowered his gun.

The leader of the group walked over to Jade and punched her, hard in the face, nearly knocking her out, "That's from Mr. Enache, he told me to tell you, he can afford anything, so get ready bitch."

Jade grimaced and spat out blood, "Fuck you. And fuck Enache too." The man hit her again, this time in the gut, knocking the air out of her lungs.

From deep inside, Bucky silently screamed his rage at seeing Rose hurt. He knew what was coming next, but he couldn't be himself if he wanted them to survive. He had to be cold, like ice, like Winter. It was going to be a long winter, full of pain.


	12. Hostages

_**AN: Hey guys, hope you are enjoying the story! xoxo** _

* * *

Jade woke slowly, her head pounding, her body aching. Her left eye was swollen shut, and her bottom lip was split open. She sat, tied to a wooden chair, opposite the Winter Soldier. Jade could taste blood in her mouth, turned her head and spat a mouthful out. The Hydra agents had been quite insistent in their questioning. She didn't know how much longer she could take it, and knew they needed to find a way out.

She looked back at the Soldier, "Have you seen any way out of this?" He looked nearly as bad as she felt. He shook his head no.

Jade looked around the barren room, seeing only a few windows high up. Those were probably the best way out.

There were two sets of stairs at opposite ends of the large warehouse, with no guards in the room. The door at the left end of the building opened, and a Hydra agent entered, walking down the stairs.

The well built man came to a stop in front of the Winter Soldier, "Well, you've both proved difficult. Perhaps keeping you in the same room will yield better results." He turned swiftly, punching Jade hard in the face with a fearsome right hook that knocked her and the chair to the floor.

Impassively, he picked her and the chair back up. He faced her, "Well _Jade_ do you have anything to say?" Jade tried to breathe normally, her head felt like it had been hit by a two by four. She stared at him, saying nothing, her nose split, bleeding. The man cocked an eyebrow, and swung again, this time aiming for her stomach. Jade let out a cry of pain, but gave nothing else to his questioning.

The Soldier watched the questioning of Jade, as she was hit, waterboarded and finally tied back into her chair, unconscious.

The Hydra agent turned to him, "You still don't have anything to say? Huh, we heard that you go by Bucky now and that you and she are together. Thought you would have cared what happened to her."

The Soldier looked over at the unconscious form of Jade, and back to the agent, "I don't give a shit." The agent laughed, and left the room.

The Soldier sat, quiet. His face was impassive, giving nothing away to the cameras that watched. Deep inside, Bucky howled his rage and heartbreak. He wanted to break free and murder the men who were hurting Rose, but hadn't been able to free himself so far. So he sat, quietly, pulling the anger and crazed sadness in, using it to figure out a way to free them.

* * *

Jade gasped for air as her head was yanked out of the bucket of ice water.

"That's enough" she heard a voice say.

She focused hard on the man leading her back to her chair, and leaned heavily against him, lifting a small knife off of him. She held it tight, close to her, the man never noticing its disappearance. She held it tightly in her hand before being tied back into the chair. After the man left the room she closed her eyes, needing to rest.

She slept for only ten minutes, and awoke with a plan. It was a shitty plan, but dying here was no better.

She looked to the Soldier and hissed, "Hey. Hey! Are you ready? We're getting out of here. Follow my lead." He looked at her, blankly, and then nodded. Jade cut her ropes quickly, and then moved across the room to free the Soldier. She beckoned for him to follow her up the stairs, knowing they were being watched by the cameras and this was most likely futile.

She had to try, because this was not where she planned on having things end.

They got to the top of the stairs and instead of going to the door, headed to the large window. Jade kept low, and peered out the window, scouting for shooters. After a moment she beckoned the Soldier over, "I don't see anything, do you?"

He took a moment, scanning the other rooftops and the ground, and shook his head. "Good, let's go" she whispered, opening the window. Jade hauled herself out the window, wincing as her most likely broken rib twinged. She shimmied her way down the building, using the few and far between foot and handholds, trusting her instincts.

She got to the last ten feet and didn't feel another foothold. _Of course not...this is a shitty plan, why would anything go right?_ she thought.

Sighing, she let go, tucking and rolling, gasping loudly in pain, her ribs protesting the harsh movement. A few moments later she heard the Soldier follow her. To her surprise, he helped her up, holding onto her elbow, leading her towards one of the nearby parked trucks. As they approached the vehicle, gunshots rang out. Snipers had appeared, and were firing warning shots, trying to prevent them from escaping without killing them.

Jade took off at a run for the truck, stumbling as she took a bullet to the left thigh. She continued onward, throwing herself into the truck, searching for keys, seeing none.

The Soldier jumped into the other side, fumbling through the box on the floor to try and find keys, only to come up empty.

Jade frantically began to try to hotwire the truck, her hands shaking with pain. After a long moment, she was successful. The truck rumbled to life, and she threw it into drive, screeching towards the industrial lot's entrance.

Gunfire rained down on the truck, taking out first the front left tire, sending them careening one direction, then the back right tire, sending them in the other direction. Finally, a bullet came in through the gunshot weakened windshield, piercing Jade's right shoulder. Losing control of the truck, they slammed into one of the buildings, the airbags deploying, knocking Jade unconscious, and giving the Soldier a wicked blow to the head.

They sat in the truck for what felt like years to the Soldier before the Hydra agents came and hauled them out. The sight of Rose's wounds finally roused Bucky to the surface. He screamed an animalistic howl, fighting the soldiers off, knocking them away until he was free to hold her.

The Hydra agents surrounded them, guns pointing at Bucky and Rose as they sat on the ground, Rose barely conscious in his arms.

Bucky pushed her bloody hair out of her face and made soft comforting noises. Rose smiled weakly up at him, lifting a hand to his face. "Hey James, it's nice to see you again. You were gone for awhile there."

He nodded, unable to speak. Rose's voice was weakening, "I'm sorry my plan was so shitty, but it was all I had."

Bucky let out a sob, "No, Rose, no, no, it was m-my fault. I should have just told them what they wanted."

One of the Hydra agents standing above them laughed, "You don't know, do you? We always knew you two were SHIELD. You never had a chance."

At his words Bucky let out a low moan, pulling Rose closer, "I'm so sorry." He had gotten her hurt...it was all his fault.

She smiled, gently touching his face, "Shhh. Their playing our song James, can you hear it?" Her eyes grew hazy and closed. Bucky grew frantic, trying to revive her, "Rose?! NO!" He applied pressure to her shoulder wound, murmuring softly, "Come on Rose, stay with me...come on...come on..."

The sound of gunfire once again rained down, this time on Bucky's deaf ears. He sat in shock as SHIELD came rolling in, wiping out the foot soldiers of Hydra taking captive the leaders.

Agent Coulson came to stand by Bucky, "Come on son, it's time to go. We'll get her the help she needs." Bucky nodded, lifting Rose into his arms, unable to feel her breathing, but unwilling to acknowledge it. They walked onto the airplane together where they were met by SHIELD medics who took Rose from him. His arms felt light without her weight in them.

He followed, collapsing outside the medical bay, head pressed against the glass, watching as they tried to bring her back. He felt his heart shattering, his sanity leaving him; if she didn't come back, he would have nothing.

He raised a hand to the glass and touched it softly, blood smearing, "I love you Rose. Please come back to me." Black spots started to dance in front of his eyes, and when he looked down, Bucky felt pain for the first time when he saw the gunshot in the lower left side of his abdomen.

The last sound Bucky heard was the flat line of Rose's heart monitor. "I'm coming Rose" he whispered, the world going black


	13. The End

**Five and half months later**

Bucky sat on his porch, eyes closed, enjoying the feel of the sun on his face and the wind in his hair. It was days like these that really helped heal him. Ever since his rescue in Turkey he had been having problems with anger and flashbacks. Therapy and running helped, but resting, enjoying the day, and often, meditation were extremely helpful. Bucky ran a hand through his hair, it was too long, it needed to be cut. Bucky sighed.

"Hey darlin, you ready for me to cut that mess?" Bucky smiled, joy filling his heart at the sound of Rose's voice. He nodded, keeping his eyes closed, feeling the weight of a towel settle around his shoulders.

Her hands were gentle as she ran a wetted brush through his hair, dampening it. "How short should we go? Hmm?" Bucky could hear the smile in her voice.

"How about right to the ears?" he murmured softly.

"Sounds good babe" Rose responded, picking up the scissors, starting to cut.

Bucky sighed with contentment as her hands moved through his hair, nails scraping against his scalp occasionally.

After a short time Rose put down the scissors, "All done, how's it feel?" Bucky opened his eyes and ran a hand through his much shorter hair, "Nice, I like it." He turned and smiled up at her. He reached around and grabbed her hand, pulling her around to sit on his lap.

He placed a hand on her slightly rounded belly, "How's our little one doing today?" he asked, smiling widely.

Rose smiled at his enthusiasm, "Wonderful, she's moving around right now. Here, feel. More to the left." She moved his hand, helping him feel their daughter moving. She smiled softly, watching the awe on his face.

Bucky looked up at her, tears in his eyes, "Thank you." Rose was surprised, "For what James?"

He touched her face softly, "For living. For giving us this new life. For helping bring me back. For being everything I ever needed."

Rose wiped away her own tears, "I love you James. Thank you for being my everything."

They sat in silence, feeling their daughter move.

**Five years later**

Bucky laughed as his daughter ran around the backyard, chasing after her uncle Steve. "Slow down Uncle Steve! You're too fast!" she shouted gleefully, darting past him, long auburn curls whipping in the wind.

He felt Rose's arms wrap around his waist, "Dinner's almost ready."She rested her head on his shoulder, laughing softly, "She looks so happy. Do you remember being that young?"

Bucky laughed too, "Yea, but it was a different time." Rose squeezed his waist, knowing he sometimes felt out of place. Straightening, she called out to her daughter, "Come on Kyra darling, dinner's ready! First one to the table gets the biggest piece of cake for dessert!"

Rose smiled as her daughter took off running, followed closely by her Uncle Steve. She nudged her husband, "Come on old man, let's see who gets some cake" she grinned widely at him, running after their daughter, her heart taking wing along with her daughter and husband's laughter.

James ran behind his three favorite people, filled with joy. They no longer worked with SHIELD, they only had each other and their happiness. He couldn't ask for more.

His winter was over; ended when his Rose had come back to him, and his daughter had been born. There was no more Winter Soldier, only James.

* * *

**Hey-o :D So, that's it for this story! I really hope that you guys liked the ending, and the entire story. Now for a small favor, I have a new story with Kyra, Bucky, Steve and some of the Avengers crew! It's Winter's Legacy, and if you liked this, then I highly suggest you check it out! Also, please check out the tumblr associated, thebuckybrigade. tumblr . com**


	14. Happy Birthday

_**AN: Enjoy the pre-quel one shot "Happy Birthday". This pre-quel one shot is for "Winter's Legacy", so check it out when you're done here! Thanks for reading! xoxox** _

* * *

A month after the evac from the Hydra base in Turkey Rose's shoulder was still sore and she continued to limp as she walked. Bucky insisted on helping her as she walked up the stairs of their new house, and would give her shoulder massages whenever she winced in pain.

In return she held him close and whispered soothing words as she ran her fingers through his hair when he was in the throes of a flashback, his body twitching as he cried out.

As they lay in bed together one July morning, the sun streaming through the curtains, Bucky stroked her back, humming softly. Rose smiled and closed her eyes, enjoying the sound of his voice as it thrummed through her chest. She hadn't been feeling well the past few days, and Bucky had been incredibly sweet, bringing her cups of tea and trying to find something that appealed to her sensitive stomach.

As she lay in his arms, she felt her headache growing, and her stomach clenched uncomfortably, rumbling loudly. Bucky paused his humming and rubbed his thumb across her shoulder, "You ok babe?" he asked softly, concerned.

Rose shook her head, "I still don't feel well...I must have a bug...ughhh" she groaned as her stomach rolled and twisted. Pulling away she rolled out of bed and darted to the bathroom just in time to throw up what little food she had in her stomach.

Sitting by the toilet she groaned and ran a hand over her face, "Oh this is ridiculous" she muttered. She turned at Bucky's low laugh and made a face at him, "It's not funny! I've been sick all week! I feel sick all the time and my head aches, my body is sore, and I'm throwing up!"

Bucky raised his hands in defense, "I'm sorry! I know you don't feel well. Why don't we get you a cup of tea and then get an appointment with SHIELD's doctors, huh?"

Rose nodded wearily, and stood slowly, flushing the toilet before she went to rinse her mouth. After they had finished tea and she had managed to eat a bowl of oatmeal, Rose called SHIELD and set up an appointment with the doctors for later that afternoon.

Rose watched from the back porch as Bucky labored in the dirt, creating furrows to plant in. She sighed contentedly and swung on the porch they had installed just a week earlier. The warm summer breeze wafted over her skin and soothed her uncomfortable body. Slowly her eyes drifted shut as she swung, and she relaxed, drifting off into a light nap.

Bucky glanced up from the garden to where Rose sat on the swing, her eyes closed, feet propped up, a contented smile on her lips. He frowned, worried that she was still feeling so unwell after a week. He turned back to the garden and finished two more furrows before heading up to the porch to gently shake Rose awake.

When they arrived at SHIELD, he saw that they were still getting curious looks from other Agents despite the clearance that Fury had given them after Turkey, and the widespread knowledge that they had both nearly been killed in action trying to bring down Hydra agents, some in SHIELD still mistrusted Bucky and Rose.

He ignored them, walking faster down the hallways to the doctor's office.

As they sat in the doctor's office, Rose explained her symptoms and went through a thorough physical including having blood drawn and a CAT scan done. After the tests were completed the doctor invited Rose and Bucky to sit down with him.

The doctor studied the paperwork in front of him for a moment and then smiled, "Well, it seems I have good news for you both. Ms. Thorne, you don't have the flu."

Rose sighed tiredly "Okay...then what do I have?"

The doctor grinned, "What you have is a baby. You're just about a month along."

There was a strangled choking noise and when Rose looked over to Bucky, she saw shock and awe on his face. She turned back to the doctor and swallowed hard, "Are-are you sure? It's not anything else?"

The doctor shook his head, "No ma'am, you are definitely pregnant. Were you on birth control?" he asked gently.

Rose nodded, "Before Turkey, I was on the pill, but when we went deep cover, I guess in the haze of things I forgot to take it..." she trailed off slowly.

"She's been sick all week, is that normal?" Bucky asked worriedly.

The doctor nodded, "Unfortunately, it's going to continue. If it gets out of control and she can't keep anything down, then you need to come in immediately. We'll get her on medication to make sure things smooth out."

Bucky nodded and squeezed Rose's hand, jolting her out of her daze. She smiled at him weakly and listened as the doctor set another appointment in three weeks for them to come back and do an ultrasound.

As they drove back to the house Bucky chattered on happily, hardly noticing Rose's silence. When she lept out of the car and ran inside Bucky stared after her confused. Walking slowly after her, he searched for her through the house until he found her in the spare room, holding the picture of her mother in her hands.

Sighing, he sank down next to her and asked softly, "What's the matter Rose?"

She shook her head and handed him the picture, "How can I possibly be a good mother? I can't ask my mom for advice, she's gone. So's your mom. How are we supposed to be good parents if we have no support? I have no idea how to do this."

Bucky heard the fear in her voice and moved closer, wrapping his arm around her, "No one is good at being a parent when it first happens. Even if they have support from their parents, they still have to figure it all out on their own. We'll get this, I promise."

Rose nodded and laid her head against his shoulder sighing heavily. After a moment Bucky laughed, "I bet you thought I was going to freak out, huh?"

Rose chuckled, "Kinda...there's still time." Bucky laughed and nudged her with his shoulder, making her laugh harder. He waved a hand at the room, "We were going to turn this into a guest bedroom, but I think it would make a pretty good kids room, huh."

Rose nodded, "We should probably start planning out colors and stuff."

"Blue for a boy" Bucky offered.

Rose chuckled, "It's 2014 sweetie, gender roles aren't quite so set in stone like that anymore."

Bucky sighed, "Okay, so what would you like?"

Rose looked around the room, "Hmmm, how about a library theme?"

Bucky made an incredulous noise, "Library theme? I don't understand."

Rose laughed, "Okay, so we do book shelves filled with all our favorite books from when we were kids, and then we can paint literary figures on the walls, and locations from our favorite stories, and have a mobile above the crib from The Cow Jumped Over the Moon."

Bucky looked down at her and smiled fondly, "See, I told you, you're already a great mom." He brushed a soft kiss across her lips and pulled away, "I think that sounds like a great idea. I'll ask Steve to help."

They sat staring around the room, exchanging ideas for hours, the idea of parenthood settling in and igniting a happiness in them that was bigger than any before.

* * *

Over the next few weeks they attended doctors appointments, lamaze classes, and began decorating the baby room. With help from Steve, the room came together quickly.

SHIELD surprised them with furniture from Bucky's family, including a crib and rocking chair. When they installed them into the room, Rose wiped away tears and saw Bucky turn away to hide his own. She knew he hated that his family had been taken from him by the passage of time, and this new addition to their family was a joyous thing, but it made it hard on him, she knew.

One afternoon, three months in, as Rose was shelving books in the baby's room, she heard the front door slam. She knew Bucky had been working with Steve and SHIELD on non field missions, so his hours were varied.

His steps were light as he came up the stairs and a few moments later he entered the room and dropped down behind her, his long legs spreading out around her, his arms coming around her waist. His hands cupped her stomach to surround the gentle curve that was barely belying her pregnancy.

Pressing a kiss to her neck, he whispered, "Hello my two favorite people. How are we feeling?" Rose smiled and leaned back into his embrace, sighing softly, "Good, no sickness today. Little bean is letting mommy eat today."

Bucky smiled into her neck, "Good little bean."

"Did you have a good day at work?" Rose asked softly, running her fingers over his metal arm.

"Mmmhmm" Bucky murmured. "I have a question for you. Will you reach down into my right pocket there?" he asked softly.

Rose nodded and dug into his cargo pants pocket until her fingers closed around a small box. Her heart raced as she brought it out and held it in her palm.

"Open it" Bucky whispered.

Rose flipped the lid open with trembling fingers and gasped softly at the sight of the ring inside.

"It was my mom's. My sister had it, and after she passed away, SHIELD took possession of it. Now, I'd like for you to have it, and for you to be my wife." He reached around and took the ring out of the box, sliding it on to her finger.

"I wouldn't be the man I am without you. I wouldn't be alive without you. You've given me a new life, with love and happiness, and a child. I want to give you everything. Will you marry me?" he asked, his voice thick with emotion.

Rose turned in his arms and stared up at him, tears on her cheeks, "Yes James Barnes, I will most definitely marry you." As Bucky let out a relieved sigh, she smiled and laughed, kissing him fiercely.

* * *

A month later they were married in a small ceremony in their backyard, surrounded by friends from SHIELD and the Avengers. Steve stood up as Bucky's best man, and Natasha as Rose's maid of honor.

* * *

As the months flew by, Bucky continued to work with SHIELD and Rose taught a weapons class to new SHIELD agents.

Rose sat on a stool, rubbing her lower back as she waited for her next group of students to come in. Her back and abdomen had been cramping all morning. She was fairly certain it was Braxton-Hicks and she didn't want to worry Bucky, but she didn't feel very well.

They still had two weeks left until the baby's due date, and they still hadn't agreed on a name for their little girl. Bucky had been ecstatic when they had found out it was a girl, his face had positively lit up when he had seen a tiny dress onesie.

As the class filed in, Rose smiled tightly, her back and abdomen spasming. She pointed to the guns on the table and asked, "How many of you feel you're proficient with all of these?"

Half of the hands went up and she smiled, "Okay, step forward. Put on the hearing protection. Pick a weapon and step over to the shooting area. Let's see."

As the shooting began her back spasmed again and she gasped in pain. One of the students noticed her doubling over and approached her.

"Mrs. Barnes, are you ok?" the girl asked worriedly.

Rose sat up and shook her head, "Go to the emergency phone and tell them that I need medical attention, it's possible labor. Tell them I need my husband."

The girl nodded and ran to the phone speaking urgently as a crowd of students gathered around Rose, offering help. She waved them away and tried to stand but gasped in pain and collapsed against the chair, clutching her stomach.

Her head swam with pain and she moaned, "Shit...where's my husband?" The girl was by her side a moment later and rubbed her back, "He's coming ma'am, so is the medical team. Just a few more minutes."

Rose nodded and tried to breathe through the pain like the lamaze class had taught her. The students milled around the hallway and a few minutes later there was a commotion as the medical team arrived.

They helped Rose onto the gurney and wheeled her quickly to the elevator and up to the medical floors. "Where is my husband? Where is Bucky?" Rose demanded.

"He was out with Mr. Rogers on a training exercise. He should be here shortly ma'am." One of the medics answered.

Rose collapsed back against the gurney, moaning in pain, gripping the bed tightly. As they rushed her down the hallways and into a room she breathed heavily, wishing desperately for Bucky.

Once the medics had transferred her to the bed a nurse came in and helped her undress and change into a gown. She did an initial exam and nodded, "Well, you're definitely in labor. Only about a centimeter dilated though, you've got a ways to go."

Rose groaned, "Fucking fabulous." The nurse laughed, "If the pain gets too bad, we can give you meds. Just ask."

Rose nodded and laid back, praying Bucky would show up soon. She closed her eyes and breathed through each contraction for the next ten minutes until she heard footsteps coming down the hallway. Her eyes popped open and she sighed in disappointment when she saw not Bucky but Natasha.

Natasha laughed,"Don't look so happy to see me!"

Rose smiled wearily, "Sorry Nat. I was just hoping Bucky would be here soon."

Nat nodded and sat down beside her, gripping her hand. "You can squeeze my hand till then."

Rose nodded, and whispered "Thank you" as another contraction hit her. "Oh fuck!" she gasped.

Nat made a hushing noise and brushed her hair back, "You got this, you're stronger than any non super soldier I know. Except me."

Rose laughed weakly, "You are an excellent midwife."

Nat grinned, "Thank you."

Rose nodded and flinched as another contraction bore down. When it had passed, her face was paler than before and Nat could feel her hand trembling. She looked her friend over with genuine concern.

Pulling the blanket aside, she felt her face turn to stone at the sight of the blood between Rose's legs. Dropping it back down she pressed the call button for the nurse repeatedly.

Rose stared at Nat hazily, "What is it Nat? What's wrong?"

Nat shook her head, "Nothing, I just don't think you're dilated enough to start pushing yet." Rose shook her head, "No...your face doesn't look right."

"It never looks right. Hey, do I get to be her godmother?" Nat asked, deflecting.

Rose sighed, "Yes, you're her godmother...what's wrong Nat?"

The nurse entered the room, preventing Nat from answering. Nat stood and pulled the blanket up, pointing. The nurse stared and then leaned in to inspect Rose and after a moment she pulled away.

"We need to get the doctor. Mrs. Barnes, it looks like you're bleeding. I'm going to get the doctor and see if we need to do surgery. Okay? I want you to stay calm and breathe like you have been. We'll be back in two minutes." The nurse smiled reassuringly at her and within minutes had returned with the doctor.

The doctor smiled at Rose, "Rose? I'm Doctor Stone. I'm going to take a look here and see what's going on." Rose nodded, her heart racing and her limbs weak.

The doctor leaned in and began the exam. After a few minutes he pulled pulled away and spoke softly to Rose, "Rose, we need to take you to surgery. Your bleeding is serious. I'm worried your uterus is rupturing and your baby could be in danger. Okay?"

Rose choked on tears and nodded. Nat squeezed her hand and asked, "Can you wait five minutes? Her husband isn't here yet."

The doctor shook his head, "I'm sorry, if we wait, they'll both be at risk."

Nat nodded and turned to Rose, "I'll find him and tell him what's going on. You be strong, and I'll see you soon."

Rose nodded and smiled at her through the tears in her eyes. Nat leaned down and kissed her cheek firmly, "Love you".

Rose gripped her tightly and whispered, "Love you Nat."

As she was being wheeled down the hallway to surgery the doors burst open, Bucky and Steve running down the hall towards her. Rose cried out and the men came to her sides.

Bucky gathered her in his arms and gasped, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Rose hushed him and clung to him, breathing in his scent until he pulled away and looked around, "Where are they taking you? What's wrong?"

Rose gripped his hand tightly, "I'm bleeding and the baby is in danger. I have to go to surgery...stay with Nat and Steve, and I'll see you soon, okay baby?"

Bucky's breath caught in his chest and a sob tore through him. He turned away for a moment and when he turned back Rose could see unshed tears in his eyes. He nodded and leaned down to kiss her fiercely, "I love you. Don't you dare leave me."

Rose nodded, "We'll see you soon." She cupped his cheek and whispered, "Go with Steve."

Steve leaned down and kissed her softly, "Go with God sweetie" he whispered. She nodded and a moment later the gurney was racing down the hall towards the surgery.

* * *

The hours passed slowly until finally the doctor came to speak with Bucky. "Mr. Barnes?" he asked gently. Bucky lept to his feet, nodding.

"Your daughter came through with flying colors, she's up in the NICU being looked after, you'll be able to see her soon if you'd like." He offered with a smile.

Bucky hesitated, "What about Rose?"

The doctor sighed, "She is having heavy bleeding, and in order to stop it, we have to perform a hysterectomy."

Bucky stared at the man in disbelief. They would never have another child? How could he do that to Rose? How could he make that decision for her? "How-how...are you sure?" he managed.

The doctor nodded, "If we don't she might die. I only a have a few more minutes before I need to get back in there. I need your consent."

Bucky nodded, "Fine. Save her."

The doctor nodded and turned to go before turning back, "You're doing the right thing Mr. Barnes." Bucky nodded blankly and turned to sit back down, his heart aching for what he was doing. How would Rose ever forgive him?

* * *

Hours later, Rose was brought to her own room and when she woke, she found Bucky by her side, a tiny bundle in his muscular arms. He smiled softly at her and sat down gently on the bed.

Leaning in he showed her their daughter, "Look how beautiful she is" he whispered.

Rose stared at her for a moment and then raised a hand to her mouth, weeping softly. Bucky shook his head, "Hush baby, no, don't cry!" He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her temple, hushing her.

Rose whispered through her tears, "I-I'm sorry. I just thought I wasn't going to m-make it to see her. She's so beautiful!"

Bucky nodded, "You had me terrified you weren't going to make it either. The doctor...he told me you might bleed to death."

Rose's mouth trembled and she whispered, "What happened to me?"

Bucky fought back tears, "They had to do a hysterectomy. We can't have any more babies...I'm so sorry Rose. You might have died." His eyes begged her for forgiveness as tears rolled down his face.

Rose reached up and wiped them away gently, "Hush. You did the right thing. She's beautiful, and she's ours, and if we want more children, we'll adopt. Okay?"

Bucky nodded and sighed shakily, smiling at her before looking down at the baby,"I wasn't sure she was mine. Where did this red hair come from?" he asked with a laugh.

Rose grinned, "I think my grandmother. And she's definitely yours, look at that chin!"

Bucky smiled, she was definitely his. The way he felt, there was no denying the little girl was his, forever and always. "What should we name her?"

Rose smiled, "What was your mom's name again?"

Bucky shook his head, "Agnes isn't a good name for her." Rose laughed and nodded, "Okay...what about Molly?"

Bucky made a face and shook his head. He thought for a long moment and then offered, "What about Kyra. It's your grandmother's right? Kyra Rose."

Rose stared up at him, holding their daughter, a look of enraptured love on his face and smiled. "Kyra Rose Barnes...that's perfect sweetie" she murmured.

Bucky smiled down at her, "Just like her mom." He slid Kyra into her arms and they sat together, a tiny family, a glow of happiness surrounding them.


	15. Not A Chapter

**Hey guys! The next chapter is going to be the spin off one shot of this story! It is titled"Shattered Ice". The new story that will be detailing Kyra's story will be titled "Winter's Legacy" so please check it out as it is out and has new chapters! There is also a tumblr to check out, thebuckybrigade . tumblr . com**

**Please read and review "Shattered Ice"! Thank you thank you! Love y'all so much! xoxox**


	16. Shattered Ice

**Hey all, this is the one shot that will be accompanying my "A Long Winter" spinoff-"Winter's Legacy". Soooo while this is rough, please try not to hate on me, I just want to give some backstory to who Kyra is as an adult in Winter's Legacy. So please, review, but no hate-reviewing pretty please! (side note, I have lost my own mother, so writing this was kinda personal, and I hope you guys can take this as fiction, and not get too worked up-i know how some people can be unfortunately) Thank you thank you thank you for reading, y'all are the best! xoxox**

* * *

Kyra knelt on the cold ground, staring sightlessly down at the ground, heart aching. It had been 15 years, and though she had learned to live with her grief, it still sometimes felt like a large wave, dragging her with its undertow, drowning her, until she surfaced, gasping, body aching with pain and loss.

She was being dragged under by the tow of memory now….

_She was 13 again. Her mom and dad had gone into the kitchen of their house and were talking in low, urgent tones. She was listening from the upstairs landing, trying to hear what they were saying, but could only catch every other word._

" _Shield….mission…need help." She heard her father say. "No!...dangerous…die…have a daughter…no" she heard her mother say._

_Kyra knew what SHIELD was of course, she had known since she was a small child. Director Coulson was Uncle Coulson to her, as was Captain America. Most of the girls in her school had been fast friends when they found out she called him Uncle Steve. But what did SHIELD want with her parents?_

_They hadn't gone on active missions since she had been born. They provided assistance to SHIELD at headquarters when they could, but mostly, they lived independent lives. Her mom was a violin teacher and her dad taught self defense with her Uncle Steve at a local gym._

_Her attention snapped back downstairs as her mother's voice rose, "James, I will not say this again. If SHIELD wants you to go on this mission so badly, I AM COMING WITH YOU. There is no way you are going after the last of the Hydra doctors that did that to you without me. Do you understand me?"_

_Her father said something she couldn't hear, and then she heard her parent's footsteps approaching the stairs, sending her scrambling towards her bedroom._

_She was sitting on her bed studying for her history test when her door opened and her mom and dad came in, sitting down on the small couch across from her bed._

_Her mom smiled at her, "Studying hard?" She gave her mom a chagrinned smile, "I guess….is everything ok?"_

_Her mom sighed and brushed a strand of hair out of her face, "Kyra sweetie, SHIELD offered to let you father in on a mission…because it concerns the doctors who manipulated him into becoming the Winter Soldier."_

_Kyra nodded, she had known what had happened to her dad since she was little, they were a family without secrets._

_Her mom took a deep breath, "I'm going with your dad. I don't know how long we'll be gone. But you're going to stay with your Uncle Steve, ok? I don't want you to be afraid Kyra; everything is going to be ok."_

_Kyra nodded, and looked over to her dad, "Please be careful." He smiled at her, and she could see sadness in his eyes, "We will sweetie, I promise."_

_She stared down at her history book for a moment and then asked, "When do you guys leave?"_

_Her mom spoke quietly, "Tomorrow morning. We were thinking we would take you over to Uncle Steve's tonight, is that ok with you?"_

_Kyra looked up from her book, "Yea, I just need to pack up my stuff." Her mom and dad nodded and then stood, looking awkward for a moment before smiling at her and leaving her to pack, shutting the door quietly behind them._

_Kyra sat motionless on the bed for a few minutes, processing everything her parents had told her. She stood slowly and went to her closet, grabbing her duffel bag and began filling it, on auto-pilot. She had stayed with her Uncle Steve more than a few times so her brain automatically knew what to grab without her having to think about it._

_She went to her small desk and filled her backpack with her school things, along with her laptop, and then set both bags on her bed. She sat down on her bed and stared around her room, wondering what was coming next for her and her parents._

_Sighing, she slung her backpack onto her shoulder and grabbed her duffle, heading downstairs. Her parents were in the kitchen waiting for her. They greeted her with tight smiles, and remained quiet as they all headed out to the car._

_Kyra sat silently in the backseat, listening to music on her smartphone, muffling the noise of her parent's soft conversation._

_She closed her eyes and pressed her cheek against the cool glass of the window, trying to relax._

_A short time later she felt the car come to a halt, her eyes opening on the sight of her Uncle Steve's house. She sighed softly and unlatched her seatbelt, climbing out of the car, grabbing her bags and walking up to the front door where her Uncle stood, tall and smiling brightly at her._

_As usual, she couldn't help but smile back, and automatically went into his opened arms, feeling safe as his embrace tightened around her. "There are some homemade cookies in the kitchen if you want some" he whispered in her ear._

_She pulled away from him and smiled gratefully up at him, "Thanks Uncle Steve" she whispered. She turned back to her parents and saw that her mom had tears in her eyes and was holding her father's metal hand tightly. In that moment she could see how much it hurt them to leave her, and she felt tears well in her own eyes, a knot of pain balling in her chest._

_She dropped her bags and ran to her parents, whose arms opened to embrace her instantly, gathering her between them. She felt her mother's shoulders shake with silent tears, and her father's firm grip on both her mother and her, steadying them._

_They stayed that way for what felt like hours, until finally her father spoke, his voice rough with unshed tears, "Come on Rose, we need to go." Her mother made a quiet noise of assent and pulled away, wiping her cheeks off._

_She laid her hand softly against Kyra's cheek, "Be good for your Uncle, do your homework, and I promise we'll see you soon." Her mother leaned in and kissed her softly on the cheek, and Kyra could smell her mother's perfume, always so comforting._

_As her mom pulled away she made a small choked noise and turned away, walking over to the car, and leaning against it. Her father wrapped her tightly in his arms and whispered, "I love you Kyra. I promise we'll be back soon."_

_Kyra held on to her father tightly and whispered back, "I love you too daddy. Please be careful, and please take care of mom." He stroked her hair softly "I will baby. I have to go now." Kyra nodded and pulled away, sniffling quietly. Her dad pressed a kiss to her forehead before looking over her shoulder to Steve and called out to him, "Take care of her brother."_

_Kyra turned just in time to see her Uncle Steve nod "Will do Bucky." Her dad nodded and squeezed her arm lightly before walking over to the car and getting in, her mom waving sadly at her before joining him._

_Kyra heard the gravel crunch and then felt her Uncle Steve's arm come around her shoulder, his strength keeping her upright as they watched her parents drive away._

_When they could no longer see the taillights her Uncle tugged on her shoulders softly, "Come on, let's go have some cookies and hot cocoa and watch a movie." Kyra nodded and turned to follow him into the house._

* * *

_Over the next week Kyra went to school and came back to her Uncle Steve's house, doing her homework diligently. Steve noticed her quietness, but didn't push her to talk. He made her breakfast, lunch and dinner, and helped her with her homework when she needed it._

_He had never married, and considered Kyra to be as much his daughter as she was Bucky and Rose's. To see her this way, worried, scared and confused hurt him. He didn't know how to help her, other than to keep doing what he was doing._

_He planned on being there for her lacrosse match that weekend, and hoped it would make her happy to be with her friends and teammates. He smiled when he heard the front door open, her lilting voice calling out, "Hey Uncle Steve! I'm back!" He leaned down and pulled the lasagna he had made out of the oven, setting it on the stove top. "Hey kiddo, in the kitchen" he called back._

_He smiled when he saw her toss her backpack onto the kitchen table, sighing deeply. "Bad day hon?" he asked. Kyra shrugged, leaning against the counter, "Not really, but I'm not doing so well in math. I don't understand it, and my teacher doesn't like to slow down and explain."_

_Steve frowned, "Well, I'm not so hot at math either, but I'd be glad to sit down and try to help you, how about after dinner?"Kyra nodded and gave him a small smile. He smiled back at her, reaching out to ruffle her hair, "All right, go put your stuff away and wash up, dinner's ready."_

_Kyra nodded and grabbed her backpack and duffle bag, she had stayed longer for lacrosse practice, and now she needed a shower._

_As she was coming out of the shower upstairs, Kyra hear her Uncle speaking to someone. She tightened the belt on her robe and opened her bedroom door, moving out to the landing, trying to hear._

_She opened her mouth in surprise when she heard her father's voice. She went to go downstairs, but was stopped by the tone of his voice._

" _We were out clean Steve…at least…I thought we were. We had killed all the Hydra doctors, and the men protecting them were either dead or had scattered." He stopped for a moment and then continued, "We were in the safe house, waiting to be debriefed. We were in bed, asleep, when something woke me up. I got up to see what it was, and I couldn't find anything. My instincts were screaming that something was wrong, and then I heard it…I heard Rose scream."_

_Kyra drew in a sharp breath, and heard her father make a guttural noise, and then continue. "I ran back upstairs and found two Hydra agents in our bedroom, one standing beside Rose, who they had tied to a chair, and the other in front of them, pointing a gun at me."_

_Kyra felt her body go cold, and sank to her knees. Her father continued, "They tortured her in front of me Steve, for no reason. For no reason other than to hurt me. I had managed to hit the panic button before I went upstairs, so I knew it was only a certain amount of time before backup would come."_

" _What I didn't know was how much damage they would do to her before SHIELD came. I watched them take her apart Steve. I watched…." He went quiet._

_She heard her Uncle speak softly, "Bucky", and there was a profound sadness in his voice._

" _I watched them kill her Steve" her father said, and then with a horrible noise, he broke down, sobbing._

_Kyra sunk further down onto the ground, wrapping her arms around her chest, silent tears streaming down her face, her entire body aching with pain._

* * *

Kyra swam back up from the waves of pain, curled up on the ground, gasping for breath. Tears streamed down her face. 15 years since her mom had died.

She moved up to her knees and laid her hand down on her mother's headstone, "I miss you momma. So does daddy. Every day. I hope I make you proud." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment, wiping off her cheeks, before opening her eyes again and standing up.

She smiled shakily down at the headstone, "I love you mom. Please keep watching over me. Help me be strong like you." She turned and walked away, knowing she would be back in a few weeks for her mom's birthday to plant some flowers. Now it was time to see her dad.

* * *

**Please please please review! thank you! :D**


End file.
